CLINTON, N.C. (WNCN) — A North Carolina deputy who was shot last summer is still facing surgeries to help her recover and return to “normal everyday life.”

Sampson County deputy Caitlin Emanuel was shot while responding to a report of a stolen car on July 23, 2022.

Emanuel was struggling with a suspect who had grabbed her around the neck when the shooting happened, according to Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton.

Her Facebook page recently said she faced two more surgeries.

“Even though challenges will come with these surgeries, we’re praying this is what it will take to get me back to my normal everyday life,” Emanuel wrote.

She also reflected on the year in which she was shot.

“There are no words to explain what this year has been for me. I was asked recently what I’m most thankful for. While my answer was quickly, ‘to be alive,’ I started to ponder on this,” Emanuel wrote. “I’m not only thankful to still be alive, but I’m also thankful for family, friends, the community who has encouraged and prayed over me.”

The suspect, Michael Walthall Jr., a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania, is facing multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon.