Hialeah Teen Shooting Survivor To Attend State Of The Union Address

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Hialeah teen who was severely injured in a drive-by shooting last year will attend President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday evening.

Megan Hobson, 17, was invited to attend the event by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Last May, Hobson was sitting in the backseat of a car when someone shot at it as part of a gang initiation.

“My sister ducked in the front seat. I had pushed the baby on the floor and I laid across the back seat, so the bullet entered through the bumper, the trunk and back seat and penetrated my hip,” said Hobson.

The bullet, fired from and AK-47, damaged her intestines, bladder, pelvis bones and other surrounding tissue and bone.

“It entered through my pelvis, shattered it and now I have a dent on that side. It went through my small intestine, my bladder and severed a nerve,” said Hobson.

Megan lost a significant amount of blood from the shooting and needed several transfusions.

She spent three weeks in the ICU at Memorial Regional Hospital, underwent several surgeries to repair the damage and then spent several more weeks in inpatient rehab. She has residual weakness in one leg.

Hobson is now on a mission for stricter gun laws include background checks for everyone who wants to buy a gun.

“People shouldn’t feel unsafe going to school or church, the movies, the park or simply to eat out. I shouldn’t be afraid to drive in a car at night,” said Hobson.

Hobson will be just one of a number of gun violence survivors invited by their local representatives to watch the president’s address where he is expected to talk about the national debate surrounding gun violence prevention.

Wasserman Schultz has recently taken part in several round tables local officials, law enforcement, and gun owners about ideas for sensible measures that can help curb gun violence.

“We know that if we can get every single gun transaction to be subjected to a background check, that there are millions more transactions that will never happen because we will make sure that people who are getting them are able to buy them,” said Wasserman Schultz.

Hobson, an honor roll student at American Senior High School, is working hard to catch up on her school work in order to graduate on time with her class. She also volunteers to help other trauma patients at Memorial Regional Hospital.