The Brandy Thurmond House Breaks Ground

A gunman stole Brandy Thurman's future when he shot her in the head. Her friends and even total strangers are trying to give some of it back to her. <br><br>Doctors never believe Brandy would survive

Saturday, March 4th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A gunman stole Brandy Thurman's future when he shot her in the head. Her friends and even total strangers are trying to give some of it back to her.

Doctors never believe Brandy would survive but, she did and amazed them by all she could do. Now, though, she's backsliding and some Tulsa contractors have offered her a labor of love. Their expertise is homes so some Tulsa contractors are building a home to pave the way for Brandy Thurmond's future.

"They're breaking ground. That's all I know," says Brandy.

Two years ago, a so-called friend shot Brandy in the head. Doctors didn't think she would make it when she came out of a coma, they didn't think she would walk or talk. The bullet paralyzed the right side of Brandy's body. Her road to recovery was looking bright until recently. She started having seizures, so she's had to leave school.

"It just makes me tired, but that's fine with me," says Brandy. "I'm going to get my GED and all that."

And a home in her name. When it's sold, the $300,000 will help Brandy when she gets older. Her father's homebuilder friends are donating the supplies and their time.

"Seeing a little girl who's got major problems and strives everyday, makes you want to do something," says Tulsa Homebuilder David Gibson.

"Part of her life was robbed, when she was shot in the head. Some of that is being given back," says Brandy's Father Craig Thurmond.

Brandy appreciates the gifts, but as a typical teen, she is more concerned about what she's wearing than what her future holds.

"Just take it one day at a time," says Brandy.

And when she becomes an adult, the money raised by friends and the community will help pave a better for Brandy Thurmond.

A board oversees Brandy's Trust fund. Donations can be made at any Bank of Oklahoma branch. A jury found Jason Filion guilty of assault and battery in connection with the shooting last year. He could be eligible for parole in two-and-a-half years.

Filion was sentenced before Oklahoma lawmakers passed the Brandy Thurmond bill. It places a mandatory ten year sentence on anyone found guilty of firing a gun while committing a violent crime.