269,024
total hearts received for Moments That Survive

Charlene Anderson

On July 22, 2014, I was shot by my father. He fired three shots one towards my head, and one towards my back, as I ran towards the door. The last one hit me in the upper thigh. The bullet severed the femoral artery, and massive amounts of blood gushed out as I ran. I felt no pain, only weakness as I unlocked and opened the door. I made it outside and instantly fainted. I lay on the ground for a while, going in and out of consciousness, telling myself not to move, don’t struggle because if I did I would lose more blood. While lying there, my body went into shock. When officers arrived, they assumed I was dead. My father called and said he had killed me. I was transported to the hospital; they immediately started blood transfusions. I lost seven pints of blood. I was on the brink of death. After compartment surgery, plastic tubing to replace the severed artery, and physical therapy, I survived. I have several scars due to past and recent surgeries because of blood clots and scar tissue, but I’m grateful to be here to live and tell my story.

Reacting shows support for gun violence survivors.

269,024