Thanksgiving is for counting our blessings, and this year, one Chicago family has a few more than most as they gather around the dinner table to celebrate each other and the precious life that was nearly snatched away after a South Side shooting last month.
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While 7-year-old Zayden Garrett played with his twin brother Xavier in the living room Thursday on the West Side, in the kitchen, the magic for the big family’s feast is happening. The turkey, stuffing and macaroni are all ready to go. As if by magic, Zayden was there in a flash, helping his grandmother and great-grandmother to taste test the goodies.
“I’m thankful to be alive and be with my family,” Zayden said.
It was just six weeks ago Zayden walked out of Comer Children’s Hospital dressed head to toe in a Spiderman costume after having undergone two life-saving surgeries which saw him have parts of both his lungs amputated. Zayden was shot in the back while sitting at his grandmother’s dinner table waiting for pizza on October 7 in the West Pullman neighborhood. Police said the shots were fired from the street by an unknown person inside a white sedan.