Help Mason and Daiquiri Heal After A Senseless Shooting
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On Sunday afternoon, my brother Mason and his fiancée, Daiquiri, were shot in a senseless act of road rage. One moment they were riding Mason’s motorcycle, and the next their lives were forever changed.
Mason was rushed into emergency surgery after sustaining a devastating wound from a Draco (short-stock AK). Doctors worked for hours during the first of three major open surgeries.
• First surgery: a laparostomy (leaving the abdominal wall intentionally open) to allow him to stabilize. In that operation, his spleen and parts of both his upper and lower intestines were removed, his diaphragm was repaired, a chest tube was inserted for a collapsed lung, and his abdominal cavity was flushed. A feeding/decompression tube was placed through his nose, and a wound vac was applied.
• Second surgery: another abdominal cavity flush.
• Third surgery: checked for additional damage and finally allowed doctors to close his abdomen.
Since then, he has come off the ventilator and had the chest tube removed — but he is still fighting through unbearable pain. His recovery will be long, uncertain, and grueling.
Daiquiri was also shot with the same gun. In fact, she saved Mason’s life — had the bullet not hit her first, he might not be here today. Her injuries are significant. She underwent surgery to repair damage in her hand, where pins and a metal rod now hold things together. The physical and emotional pain is overwhelming, and she still faces the possibility of more surgeries.
Both of them are alive today only because of quick action and skilled doctors.
For our family, this nightmare feels incredibly cruel. Mason has already survived what should have been a fatal car accident in 2018. We nearly lost him once before, and it was a miracle he wasn’t paralyzed from those injuries. To see him and Daiquiri forced to fight again — Mason for his life — feels unreal.
But if you know Mason, you know how stubborn he is. He absolutely refuses to quit. And Daiquiri, by his side, is showing that same fierce strength. They are fighters — but even the strongest people can’t do it alone.
They will not be able to work for the foreseeable future. Everyday expenses — rent, food, utilities, car payments, insurance, medications — are impossible to manage when every ounce of energy has to go into recovery. This GoFundMe is their lifeline. Every single donation, no matter the size, will help keep them afloat while they fight to heal.
If you can give, please do. If you can’t, sharing their story is just as meaningful. No one deserves to go through this because another person couldn’t control their anger. Mason and Daiquiri need all of us standing behind them right now.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
Co-organizers (2)
Lauren Stevens
Organizer
Laurel, MS
Daiquiri Burton
Co-organizer