343,968
total hearts received for Moments That Survive

Natalie Ward

In memory of Audrie Platt

My sister Audrie was 20 years young when she was involved in an incident with a gun taking her life. On May 12, 2021, I got a phone call that would forever change me. Audrie had been shot at her boyfriend’s house that night, with his gun, but the call came in to the dispatcher as an apparent suicide. The first responders arrived at the scene, and my sister was still alive. They did everything they could, and Audrie held on for almost two days until we had to make the decision to take her off the ventilator. The doctor said there was nothing else they could do, and if by some miracle she did pull through, that her quality of life would be in a vegetative state at best. We knew she wouldn’t want that, as she was always out and about and never tied down. Her physical appearance was also changing as we could see, and not for the better. This case remains open because the detective on scene that night didn’t 100 percent believe it was a suicide. Having this still ongoing has given me PTSD and OCD from gun violence.

Reacting shows support for gun violence survivors.

343,968