Bronx toddler shot in 2011 graduates to kindergarten

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Three years ago, a baby girl named Patience Boyd was shot in the head, caught in the crossfire on a street in the Bronx.

At times, doctors warned her family the then-2-year-old might not make it. But Wednesday was proof that Patience has won out.

The 5-year-old is looking forward to kindergarten with a reason to smile and wave after sharing the stage with her classmates at the graduation for the New York League For Early Learning Gramercy School.

"It's a huge accomplishment," mom Lisandra Garcia said. "I didn't think she was going to make it this far."

Back then, after a gunman tried to shoot a rival and hit Patience in the head, the idea of this ceremony was a distant dream for relatives.

Lisandra credits the staff with tackling Patience's developmental challenges.

"She didn't have no physical expression," she said. "She wasn't moving that much, she wasn't walking, she wasn't talking, she wasn't doing all of that. With the staff and the way they welcomed her like a little daughter, a little miracle, they gave her that love that I guess was that extra push."

It was been an emotional day for her mother as she proudly watched her little girl who has been through so much.

"My family is tight, we have that bond," she said. "She has that love at home, too, so everything just fell into place.

Patience was a bit camera shy, but she sang a few bars of her favorite song, Let It Go, from "Frozen." Now, she has the skills to enter kindergarten in the fall. She'll be attending a public school on the Lower East Side with one-on-one support, another big step in her long journey.