Rebuilding a shattered dream

Tyrin Tisdale Jr., 2, watches his mother, Rose Smith, as she struggles to get into their apartment, which has been adapted for her needs. She was paralyzed from the waist down a year ago, struck by a stray bullet outside her home in Nickerson Gardens. She was 23, the mother of two and nearly four months pregnant. Her life since then has been filled with pain, struggle and a dream of a better life for her children.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Everyday chores become frustratingly difficult for a mother in a wheelchair. Smith tries to help her daughter Mariah with her shoes while her son Tyrin plays nearby.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Smith, pregnant and paralyzed from the waist down, is in constant pain from her gunshot wounds and spends most of her day in bed. After the shooting, she and her family moved to an apartment that was adapted for her needs.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Tyrin and Mariah eat breakfast with help from their mother. Since the shooting, Smith grieves for the things she can no longer do for her children. Now their father, Tyrin Tisdale Sr., is responsible for most of the household chores.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Smith tries to maintain the same routine as she had before being shot, even though she can’t pick up her children as she used to.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Tyrin Tisdale Sr. gets his son dressed for the day. He has become a caretaker around the clock: for severely mentally ill adults at work, and for Smith and their children at home.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

From her bedside, where she spends most of her time, Smith tends to Mariah’s hair before the family goes to a mall for photographs.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Tisdale lifts Smith into their car. “He saves me,” she says. “He is the only one who makes me feel protected and OK.”  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

After giving birth by caesarean section in November, Smith sees a photo of her new baby as Tisdale looks on. The baby was initially in intensive care, and Smith was too weak after her caesarean to travel to ICU, so the photo was her first look at her new daughter. They named their baby Miracle.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Tisdale holds the newborn Miracle during a checkup. The baby was born addicted to Smith’s pain medication and was weaned off it in the hospital before being released home to her parents.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Tisdale and Smith enjoy a lighter moment at a checkup for newborn Miracle. He is telling her how their older children reacted to their inoculations  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Smith strokes the face of her new daughter, Miracle.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Mariah listens as her mother asks her to be on good behavior during the family’s hectic times.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Tyrin Jr. enjoys a playful moment with his mother.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)