My name is Monae Chavez. I’m a victim of gun violence. When I was 15 years old, I was involved in a drive-by shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was in the cargo area of a vehicle packed with people. The people who fired shot at least 20 to 30 bullets aimed at that part of the vehicle. I ended up getting shot three times: Once in the head, through my frontal lobe, causing a traumatic brain injury. I also got hit in my right femur, which caused it to break; one also went through my left leg. I was hospitalized for only three weeks.
I remember almost every moment after I woke up. I dealt with being in a wheelchair after I was discharged, then crutches; the bullet in my right femur was still inside of my leg. I was in so much pain, it hurt to sit down. My head hurt severely for almost a year. I was angry due to the TBI and the fact that I even got shot in the first place. I still don’t know who did it, to this day, but I’ve accepted it, and I’m grateful to be alive and in the condition I’m in.