MONROE (WXYZ) — Six weeks into her recovery after being shot in the line of duty, Monroe Police Corporal Renae Peterson says she wants to thank each and every person who has expressed support for her as she continues her journey to get stronger.
“I’m not a crier, but it was just incredible,” said Peterson after leaving the hospital June 16. She had been there since May 24, the day she was shot twice on duty while attempting to arrests two suspected carjackers.
“I take every call with all my heart," Peterson said. "This one was no different. It was my training that kept me going.”
Peterson spent more than two weeks on a ventilator as donations poured in.
“It’s really going to be helpful as things pass and there’s things we have to purchase for my recovery," she said. "I got home and had a shoe box full of cards from everyone from family to friends to people I did not know.”
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During some of the hardest times in the hospital, Peterson says she was beginning to build endurance, but couldn’t visit with many people due to COVID-19.
“(It was) a lot of hard work. They wanted me up and moving," she said. "They wanted me to use my muscles more. At least 2 to 3 times per day of PT and OT.”
As a mother of three and a wife to a police lieutenant, she’s now focused on regaining her independence, which means being able to get around, unassisted, without a walker, cane or anything, she said.
In the next six months, she is also going to continue spending time thinking of others wounded on duty.
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The two men she helped take off the streets remain behind bars, facing more than a dozen charges each. In the meantime, Peterson is cherishing all those who reached out.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. To everyone who sent a card, s donation – I can’t thank you enough," she said. "It’s meant the world to me. It just makes me smile and right now I’m not going through the best time.”
She also says the continued support from the community will serve as more motivation and inspiration for her to recover. She’s promised to keep 7 Action News updated in the weeks and months to come.
