Yesterday evening, I returned home from a nearly 6-day stay in the hospital after having been shot in the chest while attempting to obtain Chinese take out at China Dragon , on Broadway and Hancock in Louisville, KY.
For the next couple of weeks, as I recover, I won’t be able to get around too well. So, in my restlessness, I’ve decided to start a blog to document the recovery process, reflect on the event that will almost certainly have a significant, lasting impact on my life, and to express deep gratitude towards all of the people who have stepped up to support me and my family.
It probably makes sense to start by recounting the events on the evening of November 3, 2009:
Earlier in the day, my wife phoned me at work to suggest that I pick up Chinese food for her later that evening. She was studying for medical school block exams and was feeling too stressed to leave the house. Only a couple of days earlier, I had received a text from a friend suggesting that I try the newly re-opened Cafe Mimosa. However, fearing that the restaurant could very easily spontaneously combust, I decided to play it safe and try China Dragon. After having lived around the corner from China Dragon for two years, I had always meant to try it and thought that this would be a good occasion.
I arrived at China Dragon ~ 9:15pm. The sign on the door stated that the dining room closed at 9:30, so I decided to place my order at the counter instead of using the drive-through window. This was likely a poor decision, but the outcome may have been just a grim had I been a sitting duck in my car. In any case, I looked over the menu and place my order: 1) Beef with vegetables and 1) Chicken with broccoli and an order of crab rangoons as the wife had requested. The kind woman at the counter commented that I appeared unfamiliar and asked if I was a new customer. She politely switched out white rice for the included fried rice and sent me away with a smile.
While I had been sitting and waiting for my order, I noticed two young men pass by on the sidewalk on the west side of parking lot. I didn’t think anything of it, but did note it. Upon stepping out in the to parking lot, I noticed these same two young men in the southwest corner of the parking lot standing near the dumpster. Before I could get to my car though, the two started running towards me. They were both yelling something to the effect of “give me everything”. I immediately noticed that one of the two had a gun trained on me. As they got closer, between 5-10 feet from me, I could see that they were visibly agitated. Their tone of voice was angry and they were yelling to me to give them my wallet, my car keys, everything. I told them that I only had a debit card and some Chinese food. At this point, the young man on my right, had his gun pointed gangster style at my chest and was becoming more upset. Clearly, something I had done had greatly upset them. I was stunned and do not remember exactly what I said. I do remember reaching into my coat, presumably to retrieve my wallet. I was not armed (as I do not own weapons other than kitchen knives), however, I believe the other unarmed gentlemen yelled something to the effect of “he’s going for a gun”. I could be completely wrong about that bit, as it all happened so quickly, but whatever I did at that point seemed to result in the armed man firing his gun.
Upon first seeing the two fellows coming towards me, I experienced a deep sense of forboding. However, upon noticing the weapon, it looked pretty puny. In fact, I told the responding officer that I thought it might have even been a starter’s pistol. Nevertheless, as they ran towards me, I knew that no good was going to come of the experience. I can’t say with absolute confidence that I knew I was going to get shot, but it certainly crossed my mind. And sort of hung heavy in the fore of my consciousness for the next several moments.
Getting shot was surreal. The bullet hit between my right nipple and armpit. I believe I turned my body away from the shooter right as he discharged the weapon. The impact felt like an extremely tight punch to the chest. I certainly felt an incredible burst of energy as it hit me. It knocked me back a few steps, but I don’t remember feeling an intense burning sensation, nor do I recall feeling the bullet tear through my chest. In fact, I couldn’t find the bullet wound at all initially.
After having fired, the two gentleman ran south towards Finzer St. While I may have run after them under different circumstances, I did not fancy getting shot again. Shocked, I turned towards the restaurant doors and noticed the 3 employees standing inside the doorway looking somewhat startled. I walked towards the door and asked them to let me in. I told them that I thought I had been shot and asked them to call the police. At this point, I was beginning to feel feverish and weak. I laid down on the floor between the doors and started to drift off. One of the employees woke me up and encouraged me to move to the chairs at which I had been sitting waiting for my food. Once laying across that bank of chairs I started to drift off again. I had convinced myself, at one point, that this was just a dream. However, after waking up laying across a row of chairs at a Chinese takeout restaurant, I knew something was off.
By this time, my right lung had collapsed as the bullet had hit it pretty directly. Unbeknownst to me, my other lung was filling with blood as the bullet had also knicked my heart, causing it bleed into my chest. Still, I tried to remain alert. At the time, I thought it was really only a minor injury. When the police officer arrived, I attempted to provide a full description of the two fellows who had ruined my night. I told the officer that I didn’t think the gun was even real and that, even if it was, it seemed pretty small and cheap. By this time, I had found a bullet wound though. Had I been more lucid, I would have noticed that it appeared to have entered going across my chest from the right to the left. I tried to stand, but the officer encouraged me to lay dow and wait for EMS. I asked him to call my wife and gave him her number. He was supportive and kind, as were the people working at China Dragon. Never before, had I been so relived the see police officers.
I’m not sure when the ambulance arrived, but by then, I was fading pretty quickly. The two women with EMS asked me some questions and encouraged me to stay conscious. I don’t think that they were fully aware of the extent of my injuries at the time, but they must have noticed my vital signs plummeting.
When I got the ER, I had pretty much lost my vision. Someone asked me my name and social security number. The responding officer, who had already gone to retrieve my wife, appeared to let me know that my wife was in the waiting room. At this point, I began to experience some of the most excruciating pain of my life. Since I likely hadn’t been breathing too effectively for minutes, I believe the trauma team was forced to cut tubes into my chest to drain the blood. They also inserted a catheter, and I believe, a main line in my groin area somewhere. The last thing I remember was groaning in intense pain. Then, nothing.
When I came to next, I was in the ICU, still groaning; though now, I was groaning for morhphine. Not sure how I knew that morphine was what I needed it, but I was begging for it. My requests were satisfied. I remember my family being there. I remember my wife seeming inexplicably ecstatic. Over the next 12 hours, I was still pretty stoned, but I remember a parade of loved ones appearing by my side. I felt strangely serene and happy. It probably had a lot to do with the drugs, but I had a distinct feeling of contentment that I don’t remember ever having experienced before. It was like I had always expected to feel on Christmas morning as a child, but without the stupid, selfish disappointment of not having received that one transformer or that completely unrealistic-because-it-hadn’t-been-invented-yet helicycle. I remember feeling that things had changed.
So, clearly, my injuries were more severe than I had originally thought. After assuring my wife that I was going to be fine, I believe the responding officer went back to his duties. Unfortunately, I had fooled him. I wasn’t so okay. Expecting to see me shortly after arriving at the ER, my wife grew increasingly concerned as she heard nothing from the hospital and as a parade of surgeons seems to flood into the ER. The first word she and my parents heard, shocked them profoundly: I was in a critical condition and they should prepare for the worst. My wife was inconsolable. Her despair was such that others in the waiting room were moved to tears of sympathy. I’m really, really glad I was not there to witness that. I really can’t imagine such an awful update. Hours passed before another update was provided. My family noticed one surgeon after another trickling out. They took this as a good sign, as they were not prepared for the alternative. Finally, after, what must have seemed like days, the responding heart surgeon emerged to tell them that I had been stabilized. The ER trauma team had stabilized me by draining the blood from chest cavity and re-inflating my lung. However, not aware of the extent of my injuries and fearing irreparable damage to my heart, they sent me to surgery.
In surgery, I was treated to a sternotomy and thoracotomy, the routine means of access in open-heart surgeries. Fortunately, having been knocked-out, paralyzed and having had my body temperature dropped, I don’t remember any this. I had tubes place on the sides of rib cage and a y-tube in the middle of my chest. After having opened me up, the surgeons found that the bullet had only grazed my left ventricle. My heart had already clotted. After having hit and collapsed my right lung, the bullet came to the rest beneath (or perhaps in or just outside of) my left lung. It turns out that the ER trauma team, in stabilizing me, had saved my life. I am deeply grateful to everyone I encountered that evening (with two notable exceptions). From the responsive employees of China Dragon (who could have kept their doors locked and hid in fear of being shot themselves), to the supportive responding officer, to the EMS responders to the trauma team, everyone played a necessary role in saving my life. I was extremely lucky and hope to repay all of those people in some way.
That about does it for the first post. I’m sure I’m leaving things out. I’ll add more details as time goes on. Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting me.
Tags: shooting
Thank you so much for the update. It brought tears to my eyes. Praise God you are with us.
Your strength astounds me, as do your incredible writing skills. I probably should have waited until class was over to read this but alas I am near breaking down in the middle of a discussion on ethics, ADHD, and other stuff I can’t possibly focus on right now. I love you
Thinking of you, John. What an amazing story.
We are so glad to hear from you John and we are thankful that you are recovering. Your story is an amazing (and awful) one and we continue to pray for you and your family.
Man, I’m glad to hear you are ok. Stay strong brother.
Thanks for letting us know in your own words what you experienced (are experiencing), John.
Wow man, that post sent shivers down my spine. And I don’t even know you
Glad you are okay, a reminder that every day, no matter how seemingly unimportant, is precious.
We have never met, I saw this link via twitter, but I wish you and your family nothing but the best and a speedy recovery.
Glad you are doing better! Sorry you had to experience this. Did they ever figure out what caliber bullet you were shot with?
Glad you’re ok, man! This experience is definitely a life changer and we all can learn from it.
Get better.
I am ever so happy John to know you are doing better, you are always in my thoughts and prayers.
John, this just breaks my heart and I could only imagine myself being in your wife’s shoes and the feelings she must have experienced. I am so happy to hear that you are doing better physically and hope that these two people have not robbed you of your carefree wonderful personality that I always remember. I would love to provide you and your wife a meal or anything that might help you out. Please let me know your address or anything that I could do to help. I will keep you in my thoughts and wish for nothing but the best for you.
John, what an amazing story..something you would never expect to happen. Continue to take time to recover physically and emotionally. Thoughts and prayers to you and your family.
god willing you are alive! i am amy’s brother and went thru a very similiar experience. check out EMDR therapy for PTSD. i graduated in six months and it proved to be effective as sleep well and don’t experience any stress from getting shot in my own home. i’ll be thinking of you. oh, and like they say…. "what doesn’t kill you certainly makes you stronger. be well~ rudy
You are amazing–I am truly touched by your strength and bravery. Alice is a friend from SFA and I just wanted to let you know there are so many people thinking about you and wishing you a quick recovery! take care—much love to you and your family and give your wife a big hug–your story moved me to tears. Happy healthy thoughts to you! love-sara
Get well soon
Thank you for blogging about your experience, John. Please let us know what the financial burden is as well so we can help.
Hi John, I’m a friend of Alice’s (I believe my husband and I met you at an SFA function not too long ago). You and your wife are in our prayers. I’m a teacher and I’d love to share this post with my students, with your permission.
John,
I don’t know if you remember me, but I was your social studies teacher during your 8th grade at SFA. My daughter told me about the shooting last week, and I have been praying for you and your family since then. I am so glad to read your blog–may good always trump the evil in the world. Take care, and I look forward to reading future posts.
You have one amazing story. I hope they catch/have caught the ones responsible. Regardless, you should be proud of how you handled yourself. I look forward to reading about it further.
harrowing. I had to stop for a moment reading this on the train as I got nauseous from the realism. Thanks for the window into this experience. May you have a speedy and full recovery.
Hey John,
This is Mark from Pledgie. I’ve been following your saga since the campaign was launched by your friends. I am amazed that you are doing well enough to blog about your experiences, but am glad to hear that you are doing ok.
Be well,
Mark
Your story is gripping, John! Your precision in the retelling has given my mind something to grab onto as senseless acts of violence are so mentally, emotionally and physically chaotic. I like that Rudy suggested EMDR for trauma release. I know about EMDR, and have studied other types of trauma release: Emotion Freedom Technique and Donna Eden’s Energy Medicine. I hope you are open to exploring that in addition to your other rehab activities. And yes, it’s true: your scars are the map to you inner self — although you are already there! Be well, my dear family friend. Much love to you and Mary Ann and your entire family as we hold a space for you to move through this experience. Hold onto the good meat of it.
Meg and I are keeping all of you in our thoughts. If there is anything that I can do from the dusty wastelands of Texas please let me know. I was beaten to it but…get better.
Wellsy & Megory
john! bryon passed along the news (and your blog). i am so glad you are well and am inspired by your resilience and apparent sense of humor. wishing you a speedy recovery!-jenny seigle
dearest john,
tonight, tuesday i sit so grateful that a week ago is passed and you are with us. as much as we want to protect those we love, we can’t. we can only love them.
http://pledgie.com/campaigns/6842
Link to pledgie website.
wow , i just woke up from my bed .. followed the twitter link and read the best blog post ever .
get well soon , john.
our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
I don’t know you but who cares.
Get well, man. Hopefully, you and your family will be fine.
whoa, john. i can’t even go into what the feelings are for old friends in such turmoil. i also can’t tell you how incredibly happy i am that you are doing so well!!! i am singing some appropriate stevie nicks song for you
much love, april
Hi John, What a terrible ordeal. I am so grateful that you are going to recover. I am so proud of you for starting this blog. So many who have passed through your life, who care for you, and had heard of this shooting have been praying and wondering. Let me know how I can help you.
Wow John! So glad to see you are going to make it. This posting was awesome. A very well written and positive update. Keep up the good work.
Intense! Glad to hear you are recovering and able to blog again, best wishes!
Im aprils little brother and I just wanted to say i’m glad your doing well. Get well soon.
Hey John. You’ve shown amazing strength and resilience to make it through your ordeal. You’re an inspiration to us all… continue getting well and you’ll be dreaming in Ruby again in no time!
John thank you for sharing. I wish you a fast recovery. My thoughts are with you.
John, I am Jennifer Schwager’s Mom. She sent me your blog.Thank you so much for the gift of yourself to so many. Hoping you have a speedy recovery.My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.
john i am sumners little brother hope u recover i got a friend that was shot but he is now paralized from the bullet and he is in pain everyday cant imgagine what was going through your mind when all of this was happening get well soon
John,
I’m a friend of your dad. Thank you so much for sharing what happened to you. Your strength and courage are remarkable. God bless you in your recovery. I’ll be keeping you and your family in my prayers.
An incredible description – I totally felt the horror of everything you described. Thanks for sharing.
Hi John,
I’m friends with Kelly & Jon and was in their wedding with you. You are very brave to share your story so openly with the world. Thank G-d that you are home and recovering. Our thoughts are with you!
~Rachel & Heath
Dayton, OH
P.S. I am interested to hear your thoughts on the other topics you mentioned!
John, I am so glad to hear you are working on your recovery. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. As so many are, I am amazed at your courage to share your story with all of us. I wish you a speedy recovery and look forward to your updates.
Hi. I’m "the wife". I just decided to read this. I was afraid it would upset me too much but I’m glad I read it. I’m so proud of John. The responding officer told me he was the "bravest guy he’s ever seen" when he came to pick me up that night. After reading this, I can see why he said that. Thanks to everyone who has supported us. It has meant so much to us.
Hi John
Just sending you our best from Boston, such a horrible thing to happen but happy you are recovering well. Get well soon!
John- You have a guardian angel by your side. I send my love to you and your family.
I’m a friend of Margie Byers. She shared your ordeal and we have been praying here in La Mesa, too!
Hey Lannon – Cahill told me about your blog. All I can say is "wow". I literally was sick to my stomach and light headed while reading the details. I cannot possible imagine what you and your family has gone through. All of us at Aunt Sadie’s have you in our thoughts and prayers. Thanks for sharing this so we can keep track of your progress!!
Amazing story!
Please keep up the writing, man. I can’t even imagine how life changing an event like that truly is, but reading about it is motivating.
My best to you and your family.
Hi John ~ I work with Molly here in New Mexico. I just wanted to let you know that you are in my prayers for a speedy recovery. I can’t begin to imagine what you are going through. I’m glad you are doing better. Keep your head up and God bless you!
Oh my gosh; you are so fortunate to be alive. This is an amazing story of survival. Did they catch those guys that did this to you? All the best for a speedy recovery.