Merciful Woman Helped Free Man Who Shot Her In The Face After 26 Years In Prison

Dec 23, 2022 by apost team

Everyone deserves a second chance in life. But sometimes, not everyone finds it easy to forgive others, which is understandable as some experiences can be really traumatic. It makes it hard for them to even look in the eye the person that had done wrong things to them. These moments can be undeniably painful, and they could leave scars on the hearts and minds of other people.
 
Of course, it still depends on the person if he/she is ready to forgive the person who did him/her harm. But at the end of the day, no one can deny the freeing feeling that comes with forgiveness. But as they say, it's all about waiting for the right time, which means these kinds of things should not be forced or imposed. It won't be easy, but it will definitely be worth it.
 
Take it from a woman who forgave the person who shot her in the face after 26 years.
 
In July of 1990, a then 28-year-old woman from Tampa, Florida, named Debbie Baigrie, was shot in the face by a 13-year-old named Ian Manuel. At the time, Baigrie decided to go out with her friends. It was the first time she had gone out with her friends since giving birth to her second child.
 
Manuel, on the other hand, isn't new to breaking the law. But a group of men he was with that night pressured him to rob someone, eventually pulling the trigger of a gun with a .32-caliber bullet on Baigrie, who was walking to her car.
 
After getting arrested, Manuel eventually confessed to the crime he had committed, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and attempted murder, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 
 
Baigrie then underwent various dental procedures to completely heal herself physically. 

Of course, it didn't come easy for her mentally.

"I buried my emotions," she told PEOPLE.

"I never cried about it, and I never felt sorry for myself. I had two young kids to take care of. The focus was on them."

But instead of planting a seed of hate in her heart, she decided to forgive her. Yes, as if he didn't hurt her at all. "I didn't consciously forgive him," Baigrie explained. "It was just over time, when I got through my trauma," she said. 

But that wasn't just it. While Manuel was in prison, Baigrie kept in touch with him. Baigrie even encouraged him to improve himself and take his GED. Since then, Manuel considered her as his mom, while Baigrie thought of him as her adopted son.

"She became a mother to me," he said. "She helped me grow up."

After 26 years, Baigrie helped free Manuel from prison in 2016. But not everyone understood her decision.

"I figure if I didn't help and support him, it would be a life lost," Bagrie told TODAY.

"And my life wasn't lost, and I felt like his punishment was way beyond what it should have been."

"Ian and I got out of the cars and we hugged for two minutes," Baigrie said. "It was like a long lost reunion. It was so nice," she added.

Manuel only wanted to do one thing after getting out of prison – and that was to see Baigrie.

"I got to do something that I had only dreamed about for so many years," Manuel said.

"I got to kiss her on the same exact spot that the bullet either went in or came out."

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What can you say about Debbie Baigrie and Ian Manuel's story of forgiveness? How did you feel after reading their story? Let us know your thoughts, and pass this on to your family and friends!