Monday March 5, 2007 holds the 20 minutes that changed my family’s lives forever. As a little girl, I remember that my Grandpa would take me to the park every Friday before It was time for me to go home. These early memories of my childhood are the only memories that I have of my grandpa being able to function normally. Until one day, his coworker decided to take hostage of their workplace and shot my grandpa five times. This event left my grandpa in the wheelchair for the rest of his life and as a family, we couldn’t help his pain but support him through it.

Pain all day, pain all night, he cant move a muscle or he will be taken to the hospital.  Physically he had gone through the worst but, mentally he was still the same loving grandpa that I grew up with. When this happened, it was as if my grandpa was taken away from me. It made no sense why anyone would want to hurt someone with the intent of taking his life and robbing my life spent with my grandpa. I couldn’t understand how through everything he has gone through, he was still positive. Growing up around someone with such strength and positivity, made me grow into the person I am today. This made me see that any struggle that I go through in my life, I must  stay strong because on the worse days, there is always something good.

As mass shootings become common to see on the news, My heart is with the families that suffer because I know what's it like to have someone taken away from me. In those tough moments, hope and prayer were everything to me but, as I have grown, I see protection within our country is much more necessary. Today, I take my own action by volunteering at a local hospital and treat others everyone with kindness because I never know what other people may be going through. Volunteering also allows me to empower other people by letting them know that with any crisis blossoms positivity

My grandpa won’t see me cross the stage, during my graduation ceremony, due to his condition caused this life changing event. However, my grandpa is always with me because he taught me that I should push through no matter what obstacles may come my way.  This is a lesson that had motivated me to succeed in High School and that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.