I was an innocent bystander, coming home from work in 2009. I’d just celebrated my birthday. I was shot seven times by total strangers, and my life forever changed due to senseless gun violence. I was in the hospital and the nursing home, combined, for a year, fighting for my life and learning my life all over again. I was in a coma for week; I was paraplegic for almost five months, completely devastated because I couldn’t take care of or be there with or for my children. I couldn’t walk on my own for a year. I have had organs removed due to the damage—34 procedures total. It left me with permanent physical, emotional and psychological scars.
Every day is a struggle, but everyday is a blessing because I’m a survivor of senseless gun violence.