The woman who survived a deadly ambush during a live television news interview in August plans a tribute to the two journalists who were slain in the attack, her husband said in a statement Wednesday.
Vicki Gardner, a Virginia chamber of commerce official, was released from the hospital on Monday, twelve days after the Aug. 26 attack that claimed the lives of WDJB reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward. Gardner was shot in the back and lost her right kidney.
The gunman, former WDJB reporter Vester Flanagan, killed himself as police closed in hours after the attack at Smith Mountain Lake, southeast of Roanoke.
Gardner will undertake creating a "lasting legacy ... to forever remember Allison Parker and Adam Ward," her husband, Tim Gardner, said.
"Vicki is sure there must be a reason why her life has been spared, and desires to use this blessing to more closely connect our communities around the lake and to share resources with one objective in mind: How to make the future of SML even better," he said.
With his wife back home, Tim Gardner said Wednesday, “I suddenly realize how far Vicki has come on the road of recovery.
"I know this injury has affected every organ and cell in her in some way, and her dogged determination is not enough by itself, but time and rest are also required keys for her successful recovery," he said.