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total hearts received for Moments That Survive

Anathali

Hello, everyone. I lie here at 3:26 a.m., sharing my story to seek change. On October 12, 2020, in Arizona, I was in a car with my boyfriend and his cousin when we decided to park to look for an address. No more than five minutes after parking, I heard a loud sound, and seconds later, I was shot. Three bullets hit me; one grazed my back, while another entered my right buttock and exited, and the final bullet hit my hip. At the time the bullet hit my hip, it broke my my femur.

At the time of the shooting, I was screaming for an ambulance and repeating, “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die.” “Tell my parents I love them.” “I love you, Ruben (my boyfriend).” The pain that I felt was the worst possible pain.

Today I fear leaving my home, or even getting in a car, and, needless to say, I now have insomnia. Today I question, “What did I do?” and “Why me?” but there are lots of people with access to guns, and we need to do something for our safety.

Reacting shows support for gun violence survivors.

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