September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.  Read and share stories to honor survivors whose loved ones died by gun suicide.

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John Anthony Aguirre

On June 29, 2022, I was shot while trying to help a friend. It changed my life in many ways. I haven’t been able to work since the shooting, so I lost everything. I feel very alone, so I can’t really talk to anyone. I’m lucky to be alive for sure. I was hit in the leg, so I have a badly fractured leg that has developed blood clots.

I did not know the man. He was in a scuffle with a friend standing next to me. When I saw the gun pointed at me, I tried to knock it away. It was against my leg when he pulled the trigger. As another man started shooting, I was trying to escape. I wanted to run out of the house, but I couldn’t even walk, so I crawled out. Had I been able to run, I would be dead: They were shooting at chest height, and I was low to the ground, crawling to safety.

I’m 57 years old, from Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Reacting shows support for gun violence survivors.

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