Sineads Medical Fund/Child Care
Donation protected
Life Altered & Dreams Deferred - My Yesterday Was Robbed By A Hail Of Chicago Bullets
What a difference a second makes. Yesterday I was a hairstylist. Yesterday I met my son Kristopher Jr.’s father to take care of some daily chores, as co-parents often do. Kristopher is 3 years old and the center of our lives. Along our journey we needed to stop a few places. Kris Sr. went into the sporting goods store and I went into the beauty supply store, as I have done a thousand times before. Yesterday we both got back into the car to move on to the next, and in the second it took me to put the car in reverse, I looked in my rear view mirror from my vantage point of driving, and gasped desperately when I saw a man approaching with a gun. In a literal second, my yesterday has became a horrible memory that would leave me temporarily paralyzed and give me PTSD and night terrors. Yesterday I was shot multiple times and Kris Sr. was instantly killed as there was not enough time or space to back up or pull out, and there was nowhere to run. Yesterday a total of 11 bullets entered that car and changed our lives forever, nearly making my son a double orphan on the spot. Through the grace of God my child still has one parent. I survived and my tomorrow IS still happening. But the yesterday I knew is gone. Today I woke up to all the harsh realities…that Kris Sr. died, that although my spine was in tact there is a bullet lodged near it and fragments as well, that for right now I can't feel my lower extremities, that I must undergo extensive rehab and that they also have to reconstruct my elbow. And yes it's on the arm that I use to make all those beautiful hairstyles. Though this is my reality today, I am grateful to be counted as present. The criminal was caught...thank you to public cameras everywhere. Thank you to my mom, my dads family and friends who called our village who prayed unceasingly for me during my long critical stint in the ICU and continues to pray for my full recovery. For that, I am eternally grateful. And now, as everyone asks what they can do, this is my reply. To be honest, during this long moment of picking up the shattered pieces of my broken body and life, the main thing I’m concerned about is keeping Kristopher Jr.’s life as normal as possible, but right now it’s very hard. I can't work, and due to my entrepreneurial nature, there is no 401K or plan to fall back on. His father is gone and when you die unexpectedly at the age of 25 there’s typically not anything to fall back on, and that’s the case here. Our parents can take care of themselves, but aren’t equipped for this kind of circumstance, but with your help we can build a bridge. In answer to how you can help, with your contribution, I can continue to provide for my son while I recover, making sure he is stable while I stay focused on regaining my ability to walk again. Please help if you can. And KNOW that I fully intend to STAND UP on my own two feet again! Thank you!
What a difference a second makes. Yesterday I was a hairstylist. Yesterday I met my son Kristopher Jr.’s father to take care of some daily chores, as co-parents often do. Kristopher is 3 years old and the center of our lives. Along our journey we needed to stop a few places. Kris Sr. went into the sporting goods store and I went into the beauty supply store, as I have done a thousand times before. Yesterday we both got back into the car to move on to the next, and in the second it took me to put the car in reverse, I looked in my rear view mirror from my vantage point of driving, and gasped desperately when I saw a man approaching with a gun. In a literal second, my yesterday has became a horrible memory that would leave me temporarily paralyzed and give me PTSD and night terrors. Yesterday I was shot multiple times and Kris Sr. was instantly killed as there was not enough time or space to back up or pull out, and there was nowhere to run. Yesterday a total of 11 bullets entered that car and changed our lives forever, nearly making my son a double orphan on the spot. Through the grace of God my child still has one parent. I survived and my tomorrow IS still happening. But the yesterday I knew is gone. Today I woke up to all the harsh realities…that Kris Sr. died, that although my spine was in tact there is a bullet lodged near it and fragments as well, that for right now I can't feel my lower extremities, that I must undergo extensive rehab and that they also have to reconstruct my elbow. And yes it's on the arm that I use to make all those beautiful hairstyles. Though this is my reality today, I am grateful to be counted as present. The criminal was caught...thank you to public cameras everywhere. Thank you to my mom, my dads family and friends who called our village who prayed unceasingly for me during my long critical stint in the ICU and continues to pray for my full recovery. For that, I am eternally grateful. And now, as everyone asks what they can do, this is my reply. To be honest, during this long moment of picking up the shattered pieces of my broken body and life, the main thing I’m concerned about is keeping Kristopher Jr.’s life as normal as possible, but right now it’s very hard. I can't work, and due to my entrepreneurial nature, there is no 401K or plan to fall back on. His father is gone and when you die unexpectedly at the age of 25 there’s typically not anything to fall back on, and that’s the case here. Our parents can take care of themselves, but aren’t equipped for this kind of circumstance, but with your help we can build a bridge. In answer to how you can help, with your contribution, I can continue to provide for my son while I recover, making sure he is stable while I stay focused on regaining my ability to walk again. Please help if you can. And KNOW that I fully intend to STAND UP on my own two feet again! Thank you!
Organizer and beneficiary
Darya Johnson
Organizer
Atlanta, GA
Darya Johnson
Beneficiary
