Family and friends of a North Massapequa teen celebrated her miraculous road to recovery with a surprise car parade. 

Gabrielle Walker battled a form of heart failure and was finally released from a Westchester hospital Friday.

"It just feels good to be back home,” she said.

Walker is known for putting smiles on the faces of those who love her most.

"She's just an energetic, lively person. As soon as you see her face, you just have that huge smile on you,” said Nicole Sharak, of Lindenhurst.

Jen-Marie Kelly is Walker’s kickline coach at St. John the Baptist. She says Walker’s presence has been greatly missed this year.

"She's just a burst of brightness, I can't explain,” she said. “I can’t wait to see her perform again.”

Six months ago, she went from having dreams of being on Broadway to having a 30% chance to live after being diagnosed with acute myocarditis.

The infection impacted her heart and shut down her vital organs.

Her cousin Lori Elliott says she remembers rubbing her arm in the hospital begging for her to get better.

"The last time I saw her, she was in a medically induced coma on the ECMO machine keeping her alive,” she said. "It is a miracle that she's actually coming home today, a miracle."

Walker defied the odds, got the strength to walk again, started singing with her doctors, and left a Westchester hospital Friday, ending a six-month nightmare for her and her mom Jennifer Trent.

"I just can't begin to tell you how happy I am to have my girl home,” said Trent. “It just seemed like we just didn't know when it was going to happen."

More than a dozen people, including the South Farmingdale Fire Department, welcomed her home during the car parade.

"I just want to hug her. That's all I want to do is hug her,” said Elliott.

Trent says she looks forward to cooking her daughter a meal.

"It just feels so real,” she said. “It feels like this whole nightmare is over and we're going to be able to move forward now."

As for Walker, she just couldn’t believe the outpouring of love and support.

"It just makes me feel so good about just being back home because it made me feel so loved,” she said.

The family has set up a fundraiser to help them cover medical expenses.