I-17 Phx Shooting Hero Fund, Dec 26
Donation protected
My name is Regina Pangerl, and my disabled daughter in the wheelchair is Tiffany . This Go-Fund-Me Account is for the benefit of our hero, Robert Braaksma. On December 26, 2016, Robert was transporting my daughter back to her nursing home following her brief Christmas visit home - the first time she'd been able to come home in over a year. I was travelling back with her, as I had felt the sudden need to go back with her.
Because of Robert's selfless acts of service, his loyalty to his passengers, his determination to protect us, and his sheer bravery, he saved my daughter's life and my own life during the I-17 freeway shootings in Phoenix.
(See T.V. News Story Links - My Interviews about Robert's Brave Acts of Heroism.) If clicking on the links does not work, they can be copied and put into your internet browser to view the television news stories.
1. ABC Channel 15 (1-5-17) http://bit.ly/2hYODIO.)
2. Channel 3 (1-6-17) http://www.azfamily.com/story/34205058/driver-saves-mother-and-daughter-during-i-17-shooting?autostart=true CHANNEL 3 NEWS INTERVIEW, 1-6-17
I wish to help Robert in return as he recovers from injuries sustained in trying to save our lives. He had surgery, is out of work, and faces more surgery. He is a husband and a father of 3. We wish to help reduce his economic burden as he heals from his wounds. I greatly appreciate any financial help you may provide. Details of our story are shared below.
On December 26, 2016, while travelling south on I-17 near the Thomas Road exit, heading back to the nursing home, traffic suddenly came to a halt. As traffic veered to the left and the right from the center of the highway, we saw a white vehicle stopped in the middle of the road in front of us, with the trunk and driver door open. We saw a gunman come to the back of the car pointing his gun. There was one car in front of us between the gunman and our handicapped van. The gunman began firing gunshots - first aiming towards the car in front of us, which sped away.
The gunman then approached our handicapped van and pointed his gun at our vehicle. He then went to Robert's door and began beating on the window with his gun, yelling for our driver to get out of the vehicle. We heard Robert emphatically yell back at the gunman: "No Not This One" - determined not to let this gunman take over our van. The gunman then opened Robert's door, pointed his gun up towards Robert’s face and towards the back of the van where my daughter and I were sitting. The gunman tried to pull Robert out of our van - trying to carjack our vehicle.
Robert quickly grabbed the gun with both hands, pulling it towards him and downward, so that he would not be shot in the head and be left unable to drive and so that we would not be shot. While fighting off this gunman, Robert was shot and a bullet pierced a hole in his hand.
The gunman tried again to get into our vehicle to carjack it. Although severely injured from the gunshot wound, Robert bravely found a way to push the gunman away. (It was impossible for me to get my disabled daughter out of her wheelchair and onto the floor before the shooting began, so we could only sit and pray and try to call 911, while Robert fought to keep us safe.)
In yet another act of selfless service, with a hole in his bloody hand from the bullet wound, Robert drove us safely away about 4 miles down the highway. I had him pull over, asked to see his wound, which he was hiding to protect me from seeing the horrible sight. There was blood everywhere. I insisted that he let me help him wrap his wound, and we all waited in fear and shock for emergency help to arrive.
Despite seeing our lives flash before us, miraculously, our lives were spared that day. We are so thankful to our driver Robert. He was a real hero. He was not afraid to stand up to the gunman, and he put our safety ahead of his own. Robert refused to let the gunman take control of our van because, as he told me, he knew that we were in the vehicle, and he felt he had to protect us and return us safely to my daughter's nursing home. Robert was not about to turn us over to an armed gunman.
We later learned that police had a shootout with the gunman on the I-17 after Robert drove us safely away from that scene. Words cannot describe the horror of this incident, which has etched a place in our hearts and minds forever. But what else is etched in our hearts and minds forever, are Robert's acts of heroism and selfless acts of service to me and to my daughter that day. We are grateful for the miracles that saved our lives on December 26th - especially for Robert's quick and perfect actions, with very little time to think before he had to react to a real life and death situation. He did everything a true hero would do. Thank you Robert!
Please help us give back to this true American Hero, so that he can receive financial help during his time of recovery. His protection of me and my special daughter will never be forgotten. I will sincerely appreciate any financial assistance you can donate to Robert, who protected not only me, but our daughter, who is one very special angel, as described below.
Tiffany joined our family in 1994 as a 2 year-old foster child. At her tender young age, she had already suffered too much. We were able to adopt her at age 4, and we have been blessed to be her parents and to work diligently to give her a better life, despite the impact upon her of her biological parents' poor choices.
Sadly, at 21 years of age, Tiffany was stricken with a severe case of mono, along with the onset of numerous neurological problems. She has been in and out of hospitals and nursing homes for the past 3 years. She cannot stand or walk and has a very long list of health problems that require her to be cared for in a nursing home. She last lived at home on December 22, 2015, three days before Christmas 2015, when she had to be hospitalized again. Thus, we were never able to have Christmas 2015. And she has never been able to come home until a year later, on Christmas Eve 2016, when she came for a 2-day visit.
While our visit with her was wonderful, her departure from our home on December 26th, and the need for her to return to the nursing home, was sad for us. We had family prayer before she left, praying amongst other things, that she would have a safe journey back. As the time came for her to get into the van with Robert to return to her nursing home, I was strongly inspired that I needed to go with her, and I did. Now I know why. The trauma upon her would have much worse had she been alone in the back of that van during that horrific crime. I am her legal guardian, advocate and protector, and she and I are thankful I was there that day.
Despite having much of the life she knew stripped away from her at the young age of 21, and despite being confined to a nursing home, Tiffany has served as a special friend to many - both young and old alike, who have ended up in her nursing homes. She has selflessly served so many disabled patients. She has comforted and uplifted many individuals in her nursing homes. She has put smiles on so many patients, even those who would not respond to anyone else.
Tiffany has succeeded in getting patients to come out of their rooms and go on outings when they would never do so before. She has blessed and inspired caregivers. She has been called a "special angel" by so many who have cared for her or interacted with her. Tiffany has persevered through so much tragedy in her life, and yet she still serves and inspires others. We are grateful to Robert for saving her life and for allowing her to still be on this earth today to continue blessing the lives of others, regardless of what her own future may bring. Thank you again for your donations to our hero Robert!
Because of Robert's selfless acts of service, his loyalty to his passengers, his determination to protect us, and his sheer bravery, he saved my daughter's life and my own life during the I-17 freeway shootings in Phoenix.
(See T.V. News Story Links - My Interviews about Robert's Brave Acts of Heroism.) If clicking on the links does not work, they can be copied and put into your internet browser to view the television news stories.
1. ABC Channel 15 (1-5-17) http://bit.ly/2hYODIO.)
2. Channel 3 (1-6-17) http://www.azfamily.com/story/34205058/driver-saves-mother-and-daughter-during-i-17-shooting?autostart=true CHANNEL 3 NEWS INTERVIEW, 1-6-17
I wish to help Robert in return as he recovers from injuries sustained in trying to save our lives. He had surgery, is out of work, and faces more surgery. He is a husband and a father of 3. We wish to help reduce his economic burden as he heals from his wounds. I greatly appreciate any financial help you may provide. Details of our story are shared below.
On December 26, 2016, while travelling south on I-17 near the Thomas Road exit, heading back to the nursing home, traffic suddenly came to a halt. As traffic veered to the left and the right from the center of the highway, we saw a white vehicle stopped in the middle of the road in front of us, with the trunk and driver door open. We saw a gunman come to the back of the car pointing his gun. There was one car in front of us between the gunman and our handicapped van. The gunman began firing gunshots - first aiming towards the car in front of us, which sped away.
The gunman then approached our handicapped van and pointed his gun at our vehicle. He then went to Robert's door and began beating on the window with his gun, yelling for our driver to get out of the vehicle. We heard Robert emphatically yell back at the gunman: "No Not This One" - determined not to let this gunman take over our van. The gunman then opened Robert's door, pointed his gun up towards Robert’s face and towards the back of the van where my daughter and I were sitting. The gunman tried to pull Robert out of our van - trying to carjack our vehicle.
Robert quickly grabbed the gun with both hands, pulling it towards him and downward, so that he would not be shot in the head and be left unable to drive and so that we would not be shot. While fighting off this gunman, Robert was shot and a bullet pierced a hole in his hand.
The gunman tried again to get into our vehicle to carjack it. Although severely injured from the gunshot wound, Robert bravely found a way to push the gunman away. (It was impossible for me to get my disabled daughter out of her wheelchair and onto the floor before the shooting began, so we could only sit and pray and try to call 911, while Robert fought to keep us safe.)
In yet another act of selfless service, with a hole in his bloody hand from the bullet wound, Robert drove us safely away about 4 miles down the highway. I had him pull over, asked to see his wound, which he was hiding to protect me from seeing the horrible sight. There was blood everywhere. I insisted that he let me help him wrap his wound, and we all waited in fear and shock for emergency help to arrive.
Despite seeing our lives flash before us, miraculously, our lives were spared that day. We are so thankful to our driver Robert. He was a real hero. He was not afraid to stand up to the gunman, and he put our safety ahead of his own. Robert refused to let the gunman take control of our van because, as he told me, he knew that we were in the vehicle, and he felt he had to protect us and return us safely to my daughter's nursing home. Robert was not about to turn us over to an armed gunman.
We later learned that police had a shootout with the gunman on the I-17 after Robert drove us safely away from that scene. Words cannot describe the horror of this incident, which has etched a place in our hearts and minds forever. But what else is etched in our hearts and minds forever, are Robert's acts of heroism and selfless acts of service to me and to my daughter that day. We are grateful for the miracles that saved our lives on December 26th - especially for Robert's quick and perfect actions, with very little time to think before he had to react to a real life and death situation. He did everything a true hero would do. Thank you Robert!
Please help us give back to this true American Hero, so that he can receive financial help during his time of recovery. His protection of me and my special daughter will never be forgotten. I will sincerely appreciate any financial assistance you can donate to Robert, who protected not only me, but our daughter, who is one very special angel, as described below.
Tiffany joined our family in 1994 as a 2 year-old foster child. At her tender young age, she had already suffered too much. We were able to adopt her at age 4, and we have been blessed to be her parents and to work diligently to give her a better life, despite the impact upon her of her biological parents' poor choices.
Sadly, at 21 years of age, Tiffany was stricken with a severe case of mono, along with the onset of numerous neurological problems. She has been in and out of hospitals and nursing homes for the past 3 years. She cannot stand or walk and has a very long list of health problems that require her to be cared for in a nursing home. She last lived at home on December 22, 2015, three days before Christmas 2015, when she had to be hospitalized again. Thus, we were never able to have Christmas 2015. And she has never been able to come home until a year later, on Christmas Eve 2016, when she came for a 2-day visit.
While our visit with her was wonderful, her departure from our home on December 26th, and the need for her to return to the nursing home, was sad for us. We had family prayer before she left, praying amongst other things, that she would have a safe journey back. As the time came for her to get into the van with Robert to return to her nursing home, I was strongly inspired that I needed to go with her, and I did. Now I know why. The trauma upon her would have much worse had she been alone in the back of that van during that horrific crime. I am her legal guardian, advocate and protector, and she and I are thankful I was there that day.
Despite having much of the life she knew stripped away from her at the young age of 21, and despite being confined to a nursing home, Tiffany has served as a special friend to many - both young and old alike, who have ended up in her nursing homes. She has selflessly served so many disabled patients. She has comforted and uplifted many individuals in her nursing homes. She has put smiles on so many patients, even those who would not respond to anyone else.
Tiffany has succeeded in getting patients to come out of their rooms and go on outings when they would never do so before. She has blessed and inspired caregivers. She has been called a "special angel" by so many who have cared for her or interacted with her. Tiffany has persevered through so much tragedy in her life, and yet she still serves and inspires others. We are grateful to Robert for saving her life and for allowing her to still be on this earth today to continue blessing the lives of others, regardless of what her own future may bring. Thank you again for your donations to our hero Robert!
Organizer and beneficiary
Regina Pangerl
Organizer
Peoria, AZ
Robert Braaksma
Beneficiary
