Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Deserae Turner, shot in 2017, is now on hospice after health decline.
- Her family announced she developed septic pulmonary emboli, a life-threatening condition.
- Turner's resilience has inspired many over the years.
SALT LAKE CITY — Deserae Turner was just 14 years old when she clenched the hearts of her community. After she was shot in the head and left to die, she pushed through terrifying odds most people can only fathom, just to live.
On Tuesday, Turner's family went public with a heartbreaking update: After years spent in ongoing recovery, their young warrior's health had rapidly declined, putting her in hospice care. Her family expects she only has a short amount of time left.
"All I know it's hard to breathe, and it hurts. There are blood clots in my lungs, in my legs, everywhere," Turner told KSL-TV.
In February 2017, Turner was lured by a group of teen boys she knew to a secluded spot in Smithfield where then-16-year-old Colter Peterson shot her in the back of the head. The boys took her belongings and left her there.
Eight hours later, Turner was found by a family friend who was helping search for her. She was still alive, but barely.
Turner underwent 63 days of intensive hospital treatment and made a miraculous recovery, although never completely. She would continue to suffer paralysis on the left side of her body, struggle to see and walk, and had continuous pain and at least 20 different surgeries.
But Turner maintained her new reputation — "tougher than a bullet" — in more ways than one.
She would go on to graduate from high school just three years later, serve a service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was married in 2023. Her story of perseverance clenched the hearts of her community, and Turner was the subject of a KSL-TV documentary, which heard the stories of everyone involved.
In her own words during a 2022 speech she delivered at Utah State University, Turner discussed her hardships and what pushed her through them.
"I have learned that hard times come to everyone, and there are all different types of challenges in this world," she said. "But I know and have learned that we are stronger than we look. We can withstand and carry on."
On Tuesday, Turner's family said she now has developed septic pulmonary emboli, which is a life-threatening illness involving blood clots.
"Some people will be like, 'But Des, you fought so hard, you can keep going, you have more in you, you can do it.' My rebuttal to them is, 'I can barely breathe, I don't have much strength left in my body, I'm sorry.' If I were to fight this infection I don't know if I could truly fight it. It would probably take me before I could kick it," Turner said.
Turner told KSL-TV that she isn't scared of what might happen next to her. She just knows that she is going and is ready to get there.
"I have been in so much agony, so much pain for eight years, it is time for me to take the steps to be in less agony," she said.
Turner's family set up a GoFundMe* to help them with expenses in her "final days." Turner's final wish is to have one last horse show with her friends.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
