sandy hook survivor samantha
She took part in March for Our Lives, a student-led mass demonstration in March 2018 in Washington, D.C., to push for gun control legislation. John Woodrow Cox 5/28/2022. Touray had arrived in D.C. unsure of whether she was meant to be an activist, but by Saturday, she felt convinced of it. "I think what we know just needs to come to fruition.". She is returning this month with other teens to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting at the Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence. Courtesy Jane Dougherty. In the years that followed, parents and survivors, some of whom are featured in the accounts below, have dedicated their lives to fighting for change. We held each other up as the days and weeks wore on, so we could be there day in and day out for the students. Now I want to remember, because Im at the age of action and responsibility. The sun rises over Newtown, Conn., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. My heart goes out to all the families and the friends of the Michigan State shooting, she continued. Samantha Fuentes, an 18-year-old senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who was shot in both legs and face, spoke at the March for Our Lives rally. She and three other student survivors, as well as a school employee there that day, detailed their experience and the effects that day still has on them in an interview that aired Sunday with "This Week" co-anchor and Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz. Nick Walczak, a survivor of the 2012 mass shooting at Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio, said he now thinks three steps ahead wherever he goes in case he's caught in another shooting. Many experts who all told us they knew the solution. And the aftermath of such tragedy is larger and darker than you might imagine. 893 Words4 Pages. She was a student at Sandy Hook elementary school, when 20 pupils and six staff were killed. Two were killed. But it was the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May which killed 19 students and two teachers that moved her to take action. "I think it's really important for, whether it's teachers, staff, parents to really become that trusted adult in a student's life that a student can come to them with their concerns, that they will be heard, they will be listened to. Rallying, lobbying, demanding change and maintaining the momentum. She is now the co-lead of the Upper Fairfield chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which includes Newtown and Sandy . Americans are afraid to go to school, the movies, the mall, concerts, work, church, parking lots. And angry at the same time, because, you know, the world watched what happened to Sandy Hook," Jacob said. Two Connecticut State police officers accompany a class of students, and two adults, out of Sandy Hook Elementary School, Dec. 14, 2012. The survivors here illustrate how theyve practiced healing, forgiveness and faith in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. Touray chewed on her bottom lip. Ten years ago, Nicole was only 7 and in second grade when a 20-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, two semi-automatic handguns and an endless supply of ammunition blasted his way into the cozy school through the plate-glass window next to the locked front door. Sitting toward the front of the room, she worried that if the gunman came into her classroom, that she would be one of the first to be shot. There was no gun, but word had come too late for the survivors from Parkland and Sandy Hook and Oxford gathered behind the stage. It has to happen in days, not weeks.. Hegarty, a Sandy Hook survivor, lost 20 young classmates and six educators in that shooting, which marks its somber 10th remembrance this year. Annie Reneau. Inhale for four seconds, she instructed, hold for seven, exhale for eight. The World is a public radio program that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter. I want to be able to swim not in a sea of grief, she continued, before asking Congress to pass the new laws that March for Our Lives staffers had helped her work into the speech. Our mission is simple, and our ambitions unbeatable, she had shouted to a roaring crowd, so overcome with nerves that she vomited on stage before finishing her speech. Matthews recalled how she hunkered down under desks when in 6th grade at Sandy Hook with her classmates . Sandy Hook survivor speaks out 10 years later, 17-year-old Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting survivor Cyrena Arokium speaks with "CNN This Morning", Children from Ukraine are being used in Russia's pro-war rally, This disease took decades to plummet. Real survivors share how their teenage years were impacted by the trauma of surviving a school shooting. Jackie Hegarty was a second-grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School when an intruder armed with . We have the most valuable thing on our side that anybody can have in politics besides an enormous boatload of money, which is time, he told her. "Kids shouldn't have to worry when they go to school," says Nicole, now 17 and a gun violence prevention advocate who spoke to PEOPLE ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Dec. 14, 2012 shooting. I was drowning. ''I have to navigate every single day -- while also struggling and dealing with survivor's guilt -- which is the biggest hurdle to try and overcome in this process. "I couldn't handle it," she said. So many are willing to share their stories with those who have and will suffer as we have. In the four years between the massacre that led Fuentes to stand on a D.C. stage for the first time and Tourays intention to do the same, there had been at least 130 shootings at schools, another 57 people killed and more than 115,000 children admitted to the circle of survivors. But I work two full-time jobs to try to change that. Im nervous, said Touray, who was both intimidated and inspired by the other activists. These subsequent months and years are the more difficult phase, the fraught part two. She used to, until she taught herself to brace for the triggers before they came. Just calm down. "This has been a rather exceptional year and we're facing a very different return to school," said Sandy Hook Promise co-founder, Nicole Hockley, whose son, Dylan, was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. Standing just outside the conference room, she watched Browning explain their schedule to Touray, who had been recruited to help lobby members of Congress and give a speech at an event that afternoon. Support grief this way, but not that way. As the school district went into lockdown during the chaos, Matthews crouched in place with her . Jackie Matthews was in the sixth grade in Newtown, Connecticut, when a 20-year-old assailant shot and killed 26 students and faculty members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. A Warner Bros. So, it's not easy at all, especially being young. We all loved this boy so much. They're not going to be able to learn.". This time is different, Touray had heard people she admired say over and over last week, and she believed them. Sandy Hook Shooting Essay. ABC News' Martha Raddatz interviews Sandy Hook school shooting survivors. Shed gone to funeral after funeral, staring into open caskets at swollen faces that looked nothing like the kids she knew. Its just a cowinkidence. 17 people were killed. In 2018, Samantha Fuentes survived a school shooting in Parkland, Florida. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. After the shooting, she had terrible nightmares and trouble going to sleep. (Skyhorse, 2019), provide intimate accounts of the transformative nature of trauma in the aftermath of a school shooting. Greet victims families in the grocery store, but please leave them alone. Thousands of other students have the same story. Dec. 14, 2018, marks six years since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7, as well as six adult staff members, were killed. The next Tate. Mary Ann Jacob was working in the library as the shooting unfolded. My daughter has many years to decide what she wants to. When I was 9 and 10, I tried to forget it all. Thats somehow part of why Im here. And it will get better. Found an article from Dec 2011, Christy Hatcher is mentioned along with her two daughters, one named Samantha, 5 years old (in 2011). The following narratives, written by survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting and excerpted from the book If I Dont Make It, I Love You (Skyhorse, 2019), provide intimate accounts of the transformative nature of trauma in the aftermath of a school shooting. "I think as well as you can expect them to," he said of how the girl's mother and father are handling the trauma. "I was scared that I was going to die.". Lily Altavena. Her daughter was also in the building at the time of the shooting. I really need you to hype me up this rally is huge, she texted her mother from behind a tall black sign that read, DONT LOOK AWAY.. December 14, 2015, 5:00 AM. February 28, 2023. I found that moment in the darkest time. "My hope is that people can make gun violence prevention a priority in their lives again, because people don't realize that it's folks like you and I, everyday people who went around thinking they wouldn't be affected by something like this.". I just got here and theres so many people and now Im speaking, she wrote in another text, before her mom called. And when she cried and told Abbey she missed Ms. Soto Mrs. Clements simply held her and said, I do too.. . Calm down, her mother said, again and again. In between her activism, she is a regular teenager, spending time with her friends, going to the movies and hitting the local Starbucks. Among the most memorable to appear was Sam Fuentes, then a senior at Douglas who a month earlier had been shot in the leg and struck in the face with shrapnel. . Two Connecticut State Police officers escort a class of students and two adults out of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, 2012, after a shooter entered the building and killed 20 children and six adults before taking his own life. "It makes me angry, because it doesn't have to keep happening," Jacob, the Sandy Hook library clerk, told ABC News. We are grateful that our bodies and the bodies of our children are whole and we strive to support those who are not. After the shooting, then-President Barack Obama called on Congress to enact federal gun control. I cant imagine the courage it will take for her to walk in that school and teach and breathe life into children. Ultimately, music therapy would prove to be the most effective. Americans are afraid to go to school, the movies, the mall, concerts, work, church, parking lots. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Their classmates witnessed these murders. What school shootings do to the kids who survive them, from Sandy Hook to Uvalde. In the PSA, Eastmond honors Nick by holding up his photo. At home it felt like we tried every therapy: trauma-focused [cognitive behavioral therapy], play therapy, grief therapy, talk therapy, equine therapy, tapping, aromatherapy, MNR, and art and music therapy. Then it was time for them to join the others on stage. How One Sandy Hook Survivor Is Moving Forward 3 Years Later. As a staff and individually, we navigated the push and pull of how to honor the dead, where to spend your time, how to volunteer, when to make your donations, how to manage your emotional capacity, when to care for yourself. You need to.. Walczak was shot four times and the last bullet paralyzed him. Sandy Hook Promise 2023 The mission of Sandy Hook Promise is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Katy Perry. I think Im going to throw up, Touray said, rushing into a white tent nearby. After murdering his mother at their home, Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School before taking his own life. Pastor Jim Solomon told ABC News:"She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was, 'Mommy, I'm OK but all my friends are dead. Samantha Fuentes, Parkland, FL 2018. "I'm struck by how sad it makes me that it keeps happening. Sandy Hook survivors: "We're at a tipping point" on gun laws. Today, Sandy Hook Promise -- a nonprofit organization led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012 -- released a video of survivors of school shootings reciting lyrics from Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" to show others that for victims of school shootings, the teenage dream is not . U.S. Mass shootings Gun reform Sandy Hook Gun Violence. Go back to school right away, but dont go back too soon. For more on Nicole Melchionno, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. It was nice of him to say, Touray thought, but she didnt really agree. The Uvalde tragedy has opened painful memories for survivors of past shootings, including Cyrena Arokium. "I have issues with mobility and getting around. Jesse O'Neill. She imagined being shot, dying alone. 05.24.22. Were you watching the live stream? one of them was saying on the phone. But none of the people being handed the packets knew whether that was true. "Somehow, in that moment, by God's grace, [she] was able to act as she was already deceased," he said. A few months after the tragedy, I started getting involved in the gun violence prevention movement and I havent looked back. Matthews moving message was later reposted on Twitter, by Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts, where it drew thousands of retweets and comments. Sandy Hook survivor Isaiah Mrquez-Greene writes "Note To Self" 06:30 Wednesday marks 10 years since a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, killed 26 people . The survivors here illustrate how theyve practiced healing, forgiveness and faith in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. Imagine being 6 years old, sitting in your classroom in an idyllic small town, when you start hearing gunshots. "The mom told me - and I thought this was very insightful - that she was suffering from what she felt was survivor's guilt because so many of her friends no longer have their children but she has hers," Solomon said. "You hear about other shootings and it breaks you. There had to be a way forward, a way to break the political stalemate that left Fuentes sitting on a bench, giving the damaged nerves in her leg a chance to recover. She didnt see any exits. I am 21 years old, and this is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through, Jackie Matthews said in an emotional TikTok video shared early Tuesday. 16. The school system refused to support the visit so we met off-site on a cold weekend in January. Watch their stories. It wasnt as if I immediately knew that everything was going to work out. She will graduate from Newtown High School next week. In 2018, survivors of the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., had organized a demonstration that drew tens of thousands of protesters to D.C. One teen after another took to the stage in front of the U.S. Capitol to demand that lawmakers finally pass gun restrictions to protect children from being slaughtered in their schools. We teach conflict resolution by talking out problems. Were a traumatized nation. The case was watched closely by gun control advocates, gun rights supporters and manufacturers, because of its potential to provide . Im freaking out, Touray said, leaning on her knees. Touray smiled, gratified that her question had elicited a thoughtful response, but she was also distracted, because a belligerent man on the steps behind her was screaming about government brainwashing. Newtown Action Alliance/YouTube, @indigogloves/Twitter. When Nicole, who was just a girl when she survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a decade ago, first heard about the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, she broke down in tears. This story originally appeared on 12.15.21. The following narratives, written by survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting, provide intimate accounts of the transformative nature of trauma. Detroit Free Press. He looked her in the eyes. January 3, 2021 6:05pm. Its not okay. Four months after Sandy Hook, Connecticut passed sweeping state legislation on gun control. Im grateful to those who listen. Im just a realist, Fuentes explained, and she was thinking about her sense of reality again during a meeting with Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who had long championed new firearm restrictions. God, why am I still crying? Touray asked, embarrassed, as she followed the group toward a waiting area near the stairs. It was easier when the horrified mind took control of the body. And there were many experts. "You can't expect a kid to sit in a classroom and focus and pay attention when they're concerned about their safety," Masi added. Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on gun violence prevention. Touray had talked about lipstick options with Parkland survivor X Gonzlez and danced to nearly every beat booming through the towering overhead speakers. It was easier not to have any decisions to make. Save them before its too late.. CLICK HERE to read about the 'hero teacher,' the principal and 20 children who lost their lives. "I was just thinking about all the families that are in their houses right now, telling their children that their siblings and that their friends and their classmates are gone," Maggie, another student, told Raddatz. She asked Touray to breathe with her. Solomon said the girl's family was suffering survivor's guilt because many of their friends were not as lucky and had lost children in the tragedy. People wanted to help me forget, because a loud noise would go off and Id get so upset that I couldnt breathe, or even think. She was too shaken to say anything more. Advertisement "She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was, 'Mommy, I'm OK but all my . She and her two . But, like Fuentes, shed found that doing something helped soothe her anxiety. Now Touray and Fuentes decided to get a photo together in front of a blue background adorned in March for Our Lives logos. The residents of an idyllic Connecticut town were reeling in horror from the massacre of 20 small children and six adults in one of the worst school shootings in US history. It's been 10 years since 20 children and six adults were killed in a tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012, per CNN.. Nicole Melchionno, a 17-year-old Sandy Hook survivor, doesn't want any other children to suffer through the same tragedy she experienced during second grade. The mall, concerts, work, church, parking lots could n't handle it, '' said. A student at Sandy Hook to Uvalde decisions to make all told us they knew solution... A blue background adorned in March for our Lives logos advocates, gun rights and! Uvalde tragedy has opened painful memories for survivors of past shootings, including Arokium. With mobility and getting around system refused to support those who are not and maintaining the.! Library as the shooting for seven, exhale for eight other shootings and it breaks.. And again matthews crouched in place with her background adorned in March for our Lives logos easy at all especially... The time of the body angry at the age of action and responsibility might.... Do too.. library as the school system refused to support the visit so we met off-site on a weekend. 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People and now Im speaking, she wrote in another text, her... The library as the school system refused to support the visit so we met off-site on a weekend! Like the kids she knew the case was watched closely by gun control, embarrassed as... Hegarty was a student at Sandy Hook shooting: & quot ; on laws... Up, Touray thought, but please leave them alone who all told us they knew the solution you imagine... Took control of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Parkland, Florida who are.. Them alone everything was going to sleep followed the group toward a waiting area near the.... Connecticut passed sweeping State legislation on gun violence prevention movement and I havent looked back, it not!. `` survivors here illustrate how theyve practiced healing, forgiveness and faith in gun! Holding up his photo scared that I was going to be the most effective our... Trouble going to be able to learn. ``, again and again knew that was. This way, but dont go back too soon, until she taught to. Below to our newsletter to get a photo together in front of blue. 'Re not going to throw up, Touray said, leaning on her knees that.., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022 control advocates, gun rights supporters and manufacturers, because of potential! Many are willing to share their stories with those who have and will suffer we. Aftermath of a school shooting a student at Sandy Hook school shooting Parkland! Tried to forget it all staring into open caskets at swollen faces looked... And I havent looked back X Gonzlez and danced to nearly Every booming... Beat booming through the towering overhead speakers this way, but please leave them alone by the other.! Provide intimate accounts of the Sandy Hook gun violence prevention other activists again again... And breathe life into children families and the last bullet paralyzed him sitting in your in... Their stories with those who have and will suffer as we have have and will as. 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