My son Kaylin Castle grew up here in Columbia, Maryland, to prevent the chance of my child being shot. On May 18, 2019, my son was walking out of a community store called Sam’s Mart, not realizing that a man was shooting towards the store. Kay was shot in his leg, hitting his artery. By God’s grace, my son was immediately attended to by other individuals in the area who applied a homemade tourniquet to his leg. My son was rushed to shock trauma hospital in Baltimore.
The detectives informed me that I could not see my son for 10 hours as they worked to stabilize him. I knew nothing as a mother — all I knew was that my baby boy was shot. We were informed by the trauma doctor that the bullet missed Kay’s major artery, but later, in the early morning the next day, my son developed compartment syndrome because the bullet indeed ruptured his femoral artery. Kay had to undergo four surgeries and receive three blood transfusions, saving his life.
My son is a survivor of gun violence and so is my family. I am still trying to heal from this horrific, life-altering challenge.