On May 19, 2021, my best friends and I were sitting in a Philadelphia playground after playing a game of kickball. A random shooting broke out by a group of teens, and a bullet struck my back, leaving me completely paralyzed from the waist down.
I currently use a wheelchair to get around and still go through extensive medical treatments. On top of the physical trauma, my friends and I experience ongoing PTSD, anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Every day that I wake up and open my eyes to my life in complete and devastating pain, with limited mobility and access to this world, I want to scream in horror. I’m reminded of the impact a single bullet made on my life every single day.