After accidentally shooting herself in the eye on Valentine’s Day in 2024, 4-year-old Skye McBride was given a second chance at life and now wears a prosthetic eye that has been hand-painted.
“I’m 4 years old, I’m fierce, and I’m beautiful,” Skye told WNEM as she looked in the mirror.
According to Genesee County officials, Skye, who was three years old at the time, unintentionally shot herself in the right eye, causing the bullet to pass through her skull. When the incident occurred, she was with her father, Michael Tolbert, who drove her to the hospital.
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Ladorothy Griggs, Skye’s aunt, told the outlet, “They instantly did surgery on her because she had a massive stroke and they had to relieve the pressure on her brain.”
Skye’s father, 44 at the time, was the first person charged with breaking Michigan’s secure storage law, which went into force just one day before Skye was shot.
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According to the law, if it is reasonably known that a kid is likely to be present, people must keep unattended firearms empty, locked with a locking mechanism, or placed in a lockable box or container.
Following her initial surgery, surgeons inserted a trachea to help Skye awaken from a medically induced coma.
Griggs recounted, “The second surgery was to remove the eye. And if we would have kept the eye that was damaged, it could have caused blindness in the eye that was not. So, we had to make the decision to remove her eye or basically chance it and keep it.”
The family stated that the decision was especially difficult because her “hazel eyes” were one of their favorite features of the child. The family added that after receiving initial treatment in Flint, they traveled to Detroit for additional care, after which she improved.
But when Skye started complaining of headaches, the family had to come back to Flint. “We started noticing, like, what’s going on because after the brain surgery, the corrected, her face started going back to its normal size, her head shape went right back, then boom, we were noticing it’s coming out little by little, and she’s complaining of headaches,” Griggs said.
They decided to come back home to Flint and “make an appointment for the doctor in Flint that saved her life,” Griggs said. “So we went to see Dr. Bowers and that’s when he noticed she had hydrocephalus. It’s when the fluid in the brain is steadily accumulating and it can be dangerous,” Griggs said.
Sadly, after turning four, Skye needed yet another brain operation.
However, Griggs noted that she has recently observed a change in Skye, as her head shape is returning to its natural form.
She remarked, “It’s improving by itself. I can see that the swelling and fluid have gone down tremendously.”
What was once an “emotional day for her and us” has become a painful memory that the family is adjusting to.
Along with Skye’s ongoing treatment, the family has been working on the criminal investigation.
Her grandmother, Pamela Williams, said, “It just makes you cry and it hurts. It hurts because you go in there and they repeat everything that happened. It’s heartbreaking just to see her; watch her go through all this suffering.”
Nevertheless, they emphasized they are strong in their faith and grateful for their blessings.
“It’s a possibility that she couldn’t be here or that she could be worse. She’s a miracle,” Griggs observed.
Meanwhile, Tolbert’s pre-trial hearing is planned for April 1, followed by a jury trial on May 7.
Loved ones have continued to raise funds for Skye via GoFundMe while keeping her story up-to-date.
Research cited by WNEM shows there were about 360 unintentional shootings by children in 2024, leading to 136 deaths. Skye is among 229 children who survived injuries that year.
