John–
It's almost two years since I was shot in the back. My boyfriend was driving me home when someone came out from a hidden place, stood behind the car, and shot straight towards us, mistaking us for someone else.
That night in Logan Square, Chicago will always bring pain to my heart, but it will also fuel my strength. I've used that strength to speak out, and this week, I hope you'll join me in the fight to end gun violence.
National Gun Violence Survivors Week starts tomorrow, this Saturday, February 1. Across the country, survivors like myself will share their stories and join with other volunteers to discuss solutions to end gun violence. Many of our stories — including my own — live on Moments That Survive, a newly redesigned website where survivors of gun violence can share our experiences. This National Gun Violence Survivors Week, please read and share our stories, and honor the lives of those who have been taken or changed forever by our nation’s gun violence crisis.
I shared my story on Moments That Survive and resolved to join the fight to end gun violence; now I'm a leader with Students Demand Action. With 58% of American adults having experienced gun violence or knowing someone they care for who has, I want to work towards a world where my experience will no longer be a shared experience.
Please, read and share the stories of survivors on Moments That Survive. And if you're a survivor of gun violence, you can join me in sharing your own story.
I still have the shattered bullet in my body from that night in 2018. But now, I do what I do as a survivor and a leader with Students Demand Action to help those who are no longer here. That could have been me, and I am not taking my second chance for granted.
Sincerely,
Kathy Pisabaj
Everytown Survivor Fellow
Student Leader, Wilbur Wright College Students Demand Action
P.S. Events are happening across the country from February 1-8 in honor of National Gun Violence Survivors Week. Find an event and join thousands of survivors and volunteers in honoring survivors of gun violence and discussing solutions to end this crisis.
