#EmileysDriveToHeal from shooting

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is for our friend Emiley, to raise money to buy her a new car. Emiley is one of those people who lights up a room when she enters. She is kinda and patient and mostly thinks of others. What Emiley does not say in her story is, her parents own a non-profit that does disaster relief. Emily uses her weekends and holidays to volunteer with this non-profit to help those in need. For example, over labor day weekend 2021 she drove nine hours each way to New Orleans, to help victims of hurricane Ida. She said, “I would like a small SUV to have the capability to help people when needed and, sitting high on the road makes me feel safer when most things don’t”. She deserves to have a safe, reliable car she can enjoy. A car that does not bring up fearful memories for her. This car would be an amazing gift for her, that would be like a warm huge from everyone who contributed each time she drives it. Please read a brief version of her story she wrote below…

 

 

 

Not once, but TWICE, I’ve been in the midst of terrorizing gun violence. These life altering events have forced me onto a road of recovery. When the second shooting happened in 2018, a few blocks from my home, I was simply having dinner with a friend. We finished dinner and as we got up to leave, my friend asked if I wanted to get another drink. We sat back down and I heard a loud noise like someone banging on the window next to me. I turned to see a man firing an AR15 with an extended clip. Someone yelled “hit the ground”. I threw myself to the ground. Trying to stay as low as possible, I crawled around the bar. The only way out was climbing a fence, which was not an option, because I had a newly broken foot. Still hearing gun fire, I desperately looked for a place to hide. I wedged myself behind a fridge in the Restaurant kitchen, in hopes that it might help shield me from the gunfire. I waited there, preparing for the worst. I heard sirens and soon after the gun fire stopped. I discovered there were several more people hiding in the kitchen. Cautiously we all walked into the restaurant, trying to make sense of what had just happened. I spoke to law enforcement in front of the restaurant. To my horror, I saw a man laying on the street to my right, he was bleeding. To my left I saw MY car. Behind crime scene tape was my 2010 Toyota Corolla, riddled with bullet holes. Had we not decided to get another drink, my friend and I would have been sitting in my car, that now had bullets on the seats. My car, with the bullets, was admitted into evidence.

 

Despite my persistence, the insurance company would not total my car. They offered to fix the bullet holes or, I could chose mental health counseling for trauma instead. Having not had the chance for help after experiencing the first shooting in 2009, I knew how bad my PTSD would get, and how important it was to prioritize my mental health. For the past 3 years I have been in trauma therapy 2-3 times a week. I do have medical insurance but even with that, the bills have piled up and leave me with zero room to afford a new car. Getting in and out of my car every day is a constant reminder of that terrifying experience, and how close I was to possibly losing my life.

When you experience a live shooting, your nervous system goes into overdrive and your instincts take over.  When bullet are flying you don't have time to make sense of it, you cannot predict how others will act.  It takes time for your brain to catch up with what is happening and process it. Our bodies remember the traumatic experience and store it, creating triggers we experience going forward.  This was Emiley's second experience with a life threatening event which greatly increases her PTSD symptoms and reduces her capacity to tolerate any other stress in her life.  The symptoms may include fear, anxiety, depression, mental hyperactivity and brain fog, anger, loss of sleep, nightmares, memory loss and a desire to self-isolate.  Healing from traumatic experiences is a long, slow process.  Any small thing that can make you to feel safe is a big help.  A reliable automobile would not only allow Emiley to get rid of the car she relies on which carries traumatic memories, but it would offer her something that makes her feel safe and supported by her community.  Please help us spread the word about her wishes for healing and allow us to give back to someone who has contributed so much to help others in need.  Post, text, email and pass the information along, every little bit helps.  

Thank you so much for your kindness and understanding.

Emiley's Group Therapy Family

#shootingsurvivor #shooting #ptsd #ptsd recovery #trauma #healing trauma  #healing #mentalhealth #imgoingtobeokay #gofundme #gofundmeplease #emilysdrivetoheal