What can I do about people staring at my disabled granddaughter?

My granddaughter is 15 and is living with me now, she is paralyzed from the neck down and is very fragile and she has to be cared for like a baby. She is a very beautiful girl actually, but she is confined to a wheelchair and has a ventilator that she cannot breath without. (My daughter gave her over to me because she's having problems and cannot attend to all her various needs anymore). Whenever I take my granddaughter out in public (stores, malls, or any place with many people) she will be stared at a lot because of her paralysis, and sometimes people will ask rude and nosy questions, recently someone asked me "Is she going to die?" in front of her. It really bothers my granddaughter, she hates it when strangers stare at her and ask me about her. Any suggestions on what I can do? How can I deal with these people so they won't upset her?