Imani Williams, 19, will not be home to spend Mother’s Day with family.
“We need to stop this madness,” Tio Hardiman, of the Violence Interrupters, told NBC 5 Wednesday.
The reason has Williams' own mother, Lashawn Allen, asking for peace.
“I am really just taking this day by day that’s all I can do,” she said.
After Williams became a victim of Chicago's ongoing gun violence.
“I thought it was fireworks," Williams recalled. "I’m not used to hearing any shooting."
Williams nightmare happened May 1 when the College of DuPage freshman went with a friend to Homan and Gladys on Chicago’s West Side to drop off some food to another friend.
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Williams was standing near the trunk of her car talking to that other friend when she heard gunshots.
“He got hit first and I got shot in my abdomen and I didn’t quite realize that I got shot until a couple of seconds later,” she told NBC 5 in a FaceTime interview.
Williams was rushed to Stroger Hospital, where Wednesday afternoon her parents and community leaders asked to public to pray for her.
“With her being suburban raised she is not aware of the dangers that lurk in the city of Chicago,” Allen said.
She says she remains optimistic about her recovery.
“I am feeling a lot better," she said. "I know I have a lot of work to do a lot of work has to be done."
As Williams goes through rehab, her mother has a message for all those committing violence in Chicago.
“Stop the fighting, stop killing our daughters, stop shooting each other, there is a better way,” Allen pleaded.
A GoFundMe has been set up by family to help with medical bills.
