Indiana teen shot 7 times sings national anthem, dances with Colts cheerleaders

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A teenage girl who was shot seven times at her Indiana middle school in May sang the national anthem and performed with Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders during Sunday's National Football League game, WXIN reported.

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Ella Whistler, 13, was injured while sitting in her science class at Noblesville West Middle School on May 25, the Indianapolis Star reported. She suffered broken bones in her neck, ribs and jaw and one of her lungs collapsed, the newspaper reported. A bullet that entered her right arm caused "severe damage" to an artery, which doctors replaced.

Ella's parents told the Star that she underwent six hours of surgery, and that doctors told them the teen's arm may never fully recover.

Sunday, Ella sang the national anthem before the Colts hosted the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. She then joined the Colts Cheerleaders as an honorary captain during the game, wearing her middle school cheerleading uniform, WXIN reported. She performed with the Colts Cheerleaders between the first and second quarters, the television station reported.

"I get to do a lot of different things now because of this and I think it's really cool to have this experience a lifetime experience that no one ever really gets to do," Ella told WXIN.

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