Canon City, CO -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/10/2013 -- Alicia M. Brady had it all; a loving family, supportive friends and a place at the dance school she’d dreamed of attending since she was nine years-old. What she didn’t expect was to be randomly shot by an AK-47 before she’d get a chance complete her junior year.

With a one-percent chance of survival and following twelve surgeries, Brady has since completed her degree in dance is now sharing her story of hope and courage with the world.

Back-cover description of ‘Thread’.

One minute she's jumping into a car with her friends getting ready to celebrate their successful performance, the next she's waking up on a hospital bed still fighting to live.

That's what happens when you end up in the cross fire of a gang fight and an AK-47 rips your body in half. Afraid, dying, and half a country away from her parents, Alicia Brady struggles to hold onto life by a thread. And that is just the first three chapters..

“I’d wanted to attend the Arizona School of Dance since I was a young child. It’s the only college I applied to and getting accepted was a dream come true – I was on my way to becoming a professional dancer. You can imagine how I felt when that dream, along with my whole life, suddenly changed for the worse,” says Brady.

Continuing, “Afterwards I was broken and defeated. I was weak and hurting emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I did not want to go on with my life. I did not think I could bare the pressure and resentment within myself. My book shares all that I have learned while walking the long road to triumph. Everyone struggles but we can overcome it.”

Above all, Brady hopes her story will bring hope to others searching for solace.

“Life is built on relationships where we attempt to understand one another. My experiences have taught me the bold power of empathy and sympathy and the importance of finding others we can both support and be supported by. Readers will experience how I felt and turn the last page recognizing the importance of being kind to one another. We can always use more kindness in the world!” she adds.

Since its release, the book has garnered a string of rave reviews.

“It was given to me as a Christmas gift this past year and within 3 hours I had read the entire book. While reading her story, I was able to worship and stand in awe of the Lord at how wonderful he is. She recognizes the small things that happened that night that point to an awesome and loving creator. Alicia has found a way to see just how big and marvelous even the little things are, down to every little detail that God took care of on the evening of her shooting,” says Kodee, who reviewed the book on GoodReads.

With the memoir’s popularity expected to rapidly increase, interested readers are urged to purchase their copies as soon as possible.

‘Thread’ is available now. For more information, visit the author’s official website: http://aliciambrady.com.

About Alicia Brady
Alicia Brady was born and raised in Canon City, Colorado. She is the third of five children. Alicia grew up in the comfort of a small town and has attended the Evangelical Free Church her entire life. When Alicia was six years old she began dancing at a little studio in her home town and absolutely fell in love with it. By the time she was nine, she knew that’s what she wanted to do when she grew up. Dance! She was passionate, determined and diligent in the pursuit of her dreams, studying ballet, jazz, tap, modern and musical theater.

When it came time to go off to college, Alicia was accepted to the third ranked dance school in the nation, the prestigious School of Dance at the University of Arizona.

Alicia was advancing towards her dream and loving life in Tucson, when during her junior year of college, her aspirations were destroyed by a sudden burst of violence. One night, while out with her friends, Alicia was a victim of a drive-by shooting. She was shot in the abdomen with an AK-47; the bullet entered her back, went through her liver, and exited out the front. Alicia spent the next couple of months in the hospital, fighting to stay alive as one medical disaster catastrophe followed another. Initially, she had less than a one-percent chance of survival, but she did survive. Eventually, after months of physical, emotional, and mental suffering, Alicia was able to return to the University of Arizona and finish her degree. In May of 2010, she walked with her class, earning a BFA in dance.

Although Alicia’s body doesn’t move like it used to, she is still dancing.

This is just one of the countless miracles that God has performed in her life. Alicia believes that the Lord will use her story for His glory, and that she can be a voice of encouragement for those who are hurting.