Louisville girl paralyzed after road rage shooting remains in high spirits as she continues recovering

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's been one year since a road rage shooting on Interstate 65 left a Louisville girl unable to walk.

Onyx Sands celebrated her 7th birthday on July 8. Her mom surprised her with a trip to Disney World. It honored Onyx's birthday and first anniversary of the shooting that changed their lives forever.

"I'm strong and my name is Onyx," Onyx Sands said.

The night of July 10, 2023, Onyx was in the backseat of her dad's car with her two siblings when she was shot. It was two days after her 6th birthday.

Onyx Sands 2.jpg — Onyx Sands got to visit Disney World. (Submitted photo)

She's now paralyzed from the waist down and gets around in a pink wheelchair. Despite the daunting recovery, Onyx hasn't lost her bubbly personality and infectious smile.

"They did something one time and it's still continuing to change our lives to this day," Onyx's mom Chyna Sands said.

She began relearning how to take care of herself shortly after leaving the hospital last summer and went back to school in January.

She refuses to let the wheelchair slow her down.

"She rolls with the punches," Sands said. "She's really good with navigating her wheelchair, she pops wheelies to get over sticks and objects and toys, that are on the floor that's not supposed to be."

Chyna Sands dropped everything to take care of her. She got a different car to fit the wheelchair, moved into an accessible apartment and quit her job.

"She can get out of her seat on her own," Chyna Sands said. "She's doing more things around the house, doing a lot more with like getting dressed."

Onyx's progress allowed her mother to go back to work as a registered nurse.

"I would rather not work, but she likes to go to Disney World," Chyna Sands said with a laugh. "So here we are."

While that shooting stole Onyx's ability to walk, it's not the focus of her journey. She made new friends when she went back to school in January.

"I love math," Onyx said. "There was books to read."

She looks forward to starting second grade in the fall and her next vacation.

August 2023, Louisville Metro Police said everyone responsible for the shooting was in custody. The trial for the three people charged is scheduled for August.

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