'I loved her': 15-year-old shot by family member in Durham opens up

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The days are improving for Destiny Sidberry.

Her body is on the mend but her mind will take far longer to heal and deal with the unimaginable trauma.

"I think about the good things, you know," Destiny said. "Most days I've been having anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, and stuff about what happened, how it happened."

Destiny was shot four times in early July. She remembers the day but doesn't want to talk about it much.

Instead, she wants to focus on her 5-year-old cousin Khloe.

"I love her a lot," Destiny said. "I loved her more than just as a cousin and more as a little sister."

She was babysitting her little cousin at the time in East Durham. Police say 42-year-old Brian Luster, another cousin who was staying at the home while he battled addiction, shot them.

Destiny did everything she could even stepping in front of the gunfire but Khloe did not survive.

"I was there for her when she was growing up and everything," she said. "I would play with her so much. It was to the point where she was like 'Destiny, you are my best friend."

Destiny got a visit from her twin brothers this week which lifted her spirits.

On Thursday the 15-year-old Jordan High School student is scheduled for another surgery. Her mom is hopeful she can walk out of the hospital in four to six weeks and then be thrown a big welcome home party.