She and her two . Thousands of other students have the same story. Published Dec 3, 2021. Did you encounter any technical issues? Kim A. Snyder won a Peabody Award for her 2016 documentary, "Newtown," about the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. Photo: Sasha Arutyunova. Look under the hood, and take a behind the scenes look at how longform journalism is made. 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. . 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 . Sherlach, Sandy Hook Elementary's school psychologist, was with Hochsprung when they heard a "pop, pop, pop" sound around 9:30 a.m., a parent who was with both women . 1. We can no longer allow this to happen. Now more than ever, its essential to know the signs.. "There was glass and obviously blood and I didn't want to step on anything. Maggie was in third grade at the time of the shooting. So, it's not easy at all, especially being young. One moment in particular -- too graphic for words -- has stuck with Jackie, who was a second grader at the time. "Nothing's ever as simple as we see but there are things to do," Masi said. "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,'" Pastor Jim Solomon told ABC News' Lara Spencer this weekend. appreciated. A few months after the tragedy, I started getting involved in the gun violence prevention movement and I havent looked back. Student Geneva Cunningham was in fourth grade at the time of the shooting. That bipartisan legislation included instituting mandatory background checks and banning the sale of high-capacity magazines. But the fact that it was the exact same thing completely re-triggered me and my anxiety.". "This time, I wanted to focus instead on the lived experiences of people, the aftereffects -- because I don't think people focus on what happens after a school shooting and how that impacts lives for decades.". In between her activism, she is a regular teenager, spending time with her friends, going to the movies and hitting the local Starbucks. She was a student at Sandy Hook elementary school, when 20 pupils and six staff were killed. Thats somehow part of why Im here. December 14, 2015, 5:00 AM. Her mother encouraged her to speak up, so she did. The next Justin. Sandy Hook School Girl Plays Dead, Survives Elementary Shooting; Pastor Jim Solomon Recounts Story (VIDEO) . (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Getty/The Washington Post). We can no longer allow this to happen. Just in terms of, like, helping, what else do you think that we could do other than what were already doing? Touray asked, holding a pink notebook that on some pages had her new gun violence notes this time HAS to be different the #1 cause of death in children is guns and on others had food ideas for her upcoming graduate party banana pudding!. 6-Year-Old Shot Va. (Adam Wolffbrandt/ABC News) The experience of . Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, across the street from the location of Monday's Michigan State University Shooting, 21-year-old Jackie Matthews took to TikTok, with an emotional video reflection about "the second mass shooting I've lived through.". 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. 28 Feb 2023 17:55:53 Courtesy Jane Dougherty. "Somehow, in that moment, by God's grace, [she] was able to act as she was already deceased," he said. I had to do something to be part of the solution. At the end of her speech on March 24, 2018, she led the crowd in singing happy birthday to Nicholas Dworet, one of the two friends whod died in her classroom. Out of respect for their privacy, ABC News is not using the survivors' last names. February 28, 2023. "And there was no action after that.". 16-year-old snowboarder lands history-making trick at world championships, Co-workers win $50K lotto jackpot together: 'I'll never forget it', The Divine Nine: The history and impact of Black Greek letter organizations, Digital Deals & Steals celebrating women-owned businesses. "I have to figure out where I am and how to get out. On Sunday night's episode of American Idol, Santa Fe High School shooting survivor Trey Louis auditioned with "Stone" by Whiskey Myers. By DAVE COLLINS and PAT EATON-ROBB. EIN: 46-1657101. 17 people were killed. The . 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. We subsequently also met with members of the Amish community who had suffered their own tragedy about five years earlier. 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. And that should never run through a 7-, 8-year-old kid's head. 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. At the time, Fuentes thought she was lucky. When law enforcement arrived, Nicole and her classmates and teacher ran to a nearby firehouse, where she was later reunited with her family. "Our students are having feelings of loss of sense of safety, where that is different from past generations it's a different experience," Dr. Rachel Masi, a clinical psychologist and director of research at Sandy Hook Promise, said. "I think for teachers, they are that first line of defense in the school, they really know their students," Masi said. "It sparked something in me," she says. Its okay, Vickie Brent-Touray told her. There's no handbook on how to survive a school shooting and what to do afterwards.". The following narratives, written by survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting, provide intimate accounts of the transformative nature of trauma. Perhaps because my daughter knows firsthand what the love of a good teacher can do for a child. But I work two full-time jobs to try to change that. 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. For Fuentes, the aftershock from the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is something she still lives with each day. I think it's impossible outside of divine intervention. Jackie Hegarty was a second-grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School when an intruder armed with . God, why am I still crying? Touray asked, embarrassed, as she followed the group toward a waiting area near the stairs. *** These videos contain sensitive content related to gun violence that may be triggering for some viewers. She stood at the lectern and glanced down at the speech on her phone. But at the same time, it felt almost impossible for that to actually happen. Yesterday (Feb. 13), 43-year-old Anthony McRae killed three and injured . "I think as well as you can expect them to," he said of how the girl's mother and father are handling the trauma. According to a pastor close to her family, the unnamed girl lay among the bodies of her 15 classmates until she thought it was safe to leave. She had learned over the past four years that guns were central to many Americans identities, but shed also learned that lots of gun safety laws could protect those people and their children from harm without stripping them of something they cherish. Israel beefs up troops after unprecedented settler rampage, Ukrainian refugees in Poland will now be charged to stay in state-funded housing, This Colombian town is dimming its lights to attract more tourists to view the night sky, Kneel and apologize!: 76 years after island-wide massacre, Taiwan continues to commemorate and debate the tragedy. Detroit Free Press. Ultimately, music therapy would prove to be the most effective. The year after the shooting, we needed to be sure each child was placed with the right second-grade teacher. We've been having these conversations, forcing folks to sit down and recognize how important this problem is and how preventable it is," Eastmond said. Two Connecticut State police officers accompany a class of students, and two adults, out of Sandy Hook Elementary School, Dec. 14, 2012. Watch their stories. The Taliban silenced him. And now it was nearly her turn. And it will get better. In the 10 years since Sandy Hook, gun laws in the U.S. haven . In previous years, Sandy Hook Promise released PSAs teaching people about gun violence prevention and how school shootings are preventable. Thus begins the latest installment of Sandy Hook Promise's award-winning series of PSAs to try to shed light on the dark realities of life after a school shooting. "It makes me angry, because it doesn't have to keep happening," Jacob, the Sandy Hook library clerk, told ABC News. It's been nearly two years since a disturbed young man, Adam Lanza, opened fire . Are you Zoe? Alexa Browning asked Zoe Touray, who was standing alone by the door, nervously fiddling with a cellphone wrapped in a Mickey Mouse case. , the local newspaper, in a front-page editorial on the five-year anniversary pointed out that, What we have learned is that not all good intentions came across as they were meant. It was an upsetting characterization of a community that has turned political points of view, hearts, schedules and philanthropic priorities inside out to support whomever needed it in the aftermath. Sunday Morning. The survivors here illustrate how theyve practiced healing, forgiveness and faith in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. Fuentes staggered toward her. 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. And when she cried and told Abbey she missed Ms. Soto Mrs. Clements simply held her and said, I do too.. The joy of her conquering her greatest fear, is beyond my adult comprehension. And for that, there are no words to truly describe the gratitude in my heart. There were no Hollywood celebrities leading chants, no pop stars belting anthems. The next morning, her chance to ask it came at the base of the U.S. Capitol steps during a meeting with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democratic congresswoman from Massachusetts. But, of course, none of it was enough. We can no longer allow this to happen. Gradually the mind kicks back in and then decisions and realities came one after another. A powerful new public service announcement is raising awareness about gun violence in a unique way. My daughter has many years to decide what she wants to do with her life. The next Hana. Its people like you.. I thought we could change things and make it so that things like what happened at Oxford dont happen anymore. At the Detroit airport the day before, she began to panic over what she would do if someone drew a gun. Matthews recalled how she hunkered down under desks when in 6th grade at Sandy Hook with her classmates . SURVIVOR INTERVIEWS Each survivor was interviewed and discussed how their lives and their teenage dream changed after surviving a school shooting. Annie Reneau. A few minutes later, a man with a clipboard and a headset ushered Touray toward the stage. Dec 14, 2018, 12:51 PM EST. "I have a plan in the back of my head almost everywhere I go now," Walczak told "GMA." . That promise that everything was going to be OK. I was drowning. Despite the trauma that students, teachers and families have experienced from past mass shootings at schools across the country, folks at Sandy Hook Promise and survivors like Fuentes, Eastmond and Walczk, are hopeful that change will happen. Congresss refusal to act had shaped every aspect of her life. Now I want to remember, because Im at the age of action and responsibility. "The intercom was left on, so everything was amplified," she says. Experiencing the trauma of one school shooting is one too many. But I work two full-time jobs to try to change that. 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 fact that this is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through is incomprehensible, Matthews said. Are you sure you want to go up there?, Enough is enough, the crowd was chanting. "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. You were meant for this.. It was easier when the horrified mind took control of the body. The shrapnel buried in her muscles made it hard to stand for too long. But shed come to D.C. despite her growing cynicism, because she needed this community of survivors and the activism that helped her manage the trauma. He would have turned 18 that day. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society named her one of its students of the year in March for raising money and awareness for the disease. "These are preventable and there's ways to intervene.". Now on the cusp of adulthood, the . Nicole with Chloe, a survivor of the Uvalde shooting. The House was just hours away from voting for sweeping new gun legislation that many believed had no chance of passing in the Senate. So many are willing to share their stories with those who have and will suffer as we have. Nolan Brandy, San Bernadino, CA 2017. . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. For more on Nicole Melchionno, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. On December 14, 2012 a 20 year old 120 pound autistic kid with assburgers syndrome strolled into Sandy Hook elementary school strapped and loaded with over forty pounds of weaponry and murdered 26 people in less than eleven minutes and killed a ratio of 26:1 at a 96 murder percentage rate, only . And for Andrew, it meant nightmares in the immediate months after. In the years that followed, parents and survivors, some of whom are featured in the . Alexander DworetParkland, Florida 2018Survived being shot in the head. This year, Hegarty said many of the messages she . CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. And also, dont lose hope.. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Read them below. They were all so smart and determined. Browning opened a black folder and removed a packet of documents that on one side read, MARCH FOR OUR LIVES, and on the other, IT ENDS WITH US.. The survivors here illustrate how theyve practiced healing, forgiveness and faith in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. (Video: The Washington Post), Dozens of attendees scattered in fear after a man stormed on stage during a moment of silence at the March for Our Lives protest in Washington, D.C. on June 11. "They started lining kids up by class in the fire house so they could start to sign them out to parents," Jacob said. Many of them had been here before. I wont talk too much. Support grief this way, but not that way. She imagined being shot, dying alone. So she ignored her dread and got on the plane. It's been nine years since a gunman murdered first-grader Jesse Lewis, 19 of his schoolmates, and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.. Jesse would be 15 now, the same age as some of the students at Oxford High School, where a shooting last week took the lives of 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Justin Shilling, and 17-year-old Madisyn . CLICK HERE for full coverage of the tragedy at the elementary school. Baby saved from Syria quake rubble is under police guard a 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Mike McCarthy shreds ex-Cowboys coordinator after firing, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards: Lana Del Ray, Kim Petras, & more, RHOA star Drew Sidora accuses ex Ralph Pittman of cheating, mental abuse, Original Gone With The Wind script reveals secret war over slavery, cut scenes, Good luck 'worming' your way out of this one, Sunny Hostin Points Finger at China for COVID Crisis: Did Not Cooperate With the International Community, Kanye West and 'wife' Bianca Censori look surprisingly happy on dinner date. A brave six-year-old became the sole survivor of her first grade class at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. because she played dead as shooter Adam Lanza went on his rampage. "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. She needed to take breaks. Cindy Clement Carlson has lived in Sandy Hook for 18 years. A gunman entered the building and fatally shot 20 children and six adults before taking his own life. Im sorry that youre part of the club that none of us want to be part of, he said. The staff was largely left to fend for themselves in those early months, with little or no mental health support. 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. "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. On December 14, 2012, a 20-year-old man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and shot 26 people, including 20 children. "And it became evident very quickly that almost two whole classes were missing.". 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. The law also created the nation's first dangerous weapon registry and broadened what classifies as an assault weapon, leading to a ban of more than 150 models. Touray buried her head in her hands, until at last she looked up. December 7, 2014 / 9:39 AM / CBS News. "We kept saying, 'That was Daniel, Daniel was coming. This is my song, shed said to at least three different songs. Newtown Action Alliance/YouTube, @indigogloves/Twitter. Well, she saw someone who she felt was angry and somebody who she felt was mad. It was just past 1 p.m. Saturday and, combined, they had already talked to NBC, CBS, NPR and MSNBC, along with a batch of other news outlets. Nick WalczakChardon, Ohio 2012Shot three times. Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sept. 7, 2022, at 7:03 a.m. Raised With Trauma, Sandy Hook Survivors Send Hope to Uvalde. 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. Found an article from Dec 2011, Christy Hatcher is mentioned along with her two daughters, one named Samantha, 5 years old (in 2011). On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Some of the earliest help offered was from surviving staff members from Columbine who wanted to come and support us. Then it was time for them to join the others on stage. November 30th is the day that haunts me.. Ultimately, music therapy would prove to be the most effective. \u201cA survivor of the Sandy Hook School mass shooting in 2012 is a student at Michigan State University: \u201cI am 21-years-old and this is the second mass shooting I\u2019ve lived through. She didnt really know about any of those things. She had been invited to speak at an event hosted by Moms Demand Action in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool, but she hadnt understood until she and Fuentes arrived that hundreds of people and dozens of cameras would be watching her. NEWPORT The bell atop Our Lady of Mercy Chapel will ring 26 times Tuesday morning at 9:30, echoing across the Salve Regina University campus to honor the lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School nine years ago.. Anne Marie Carlson, a survivor of the Sandy Hook shooting and freshman student at the university, requested the ringing of the bell. This is her story. Paralyzed from waist down. I know, Fuentes replied, and both of them laughed. "I was in my second-grade classroom. Nine families and one survivor of the Sandy Hook shooting sued Remington in 2015, accusing them of marketing the AR-15 to troubled individuals even though the weapon has "little utility for . It needs to be legislation, it needs to be action. She was represented by a speaking agency and, before the pandemic, traveled a couple times a month to speak at colleges and nonprofits. She loved reconnecting, but what almost always brought them together was another massacre. 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. Quotes from the interviews were used throughout the 360 work. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? 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.. So as a teenager who's had all of that ripped from me -- it's almost like something that you wish that I could have. "I'm definitely hopeful that we will decrease gun violence.". I want them with me up there, Touray said, after someone suggested that she change clothes. A survivor of the Sandy Hook School mass shooting in 2012 is a student at Michigan State University: "I am 21-years-old and this is the second mass shooting I've lived through. "And if our kids are feeling anxious, worried, sad and depressed, which we know that they are at an increased level at this point. "You hear about other shootings and it breaks you. This time is different, Touray had heard people she admired say over and over last week, and she believed them. In the PSA, Eastmond honors Nick by holding up his photo. 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. Sandy Hook Shooting Essay. '", "It was very traumatic for me, because there was no comfort whatsoever," she said. 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. RT @K12ssdb: This week Katy Perry (@katyperry) and @AmericanIdol put a spotlight on one survivor's story. We can no longer be complacent.\u201d\u201d Slowly the mind grasps that the dead can never be brought back, yet you cant stop that mind from churning out ways you could make it better and its all made worse by a town full of opinions. 1 of 3. Aalayah EastmondParkland, Florida 2018Hid under body of classmate to survive a shooting. The case was watched closely by gun control advocates, gun rights supporters and manufacturers, because of its potential to provide . Aalayah Eastmond, who also survived the Parkland shooting and participated in the PSA, told "GMA" that she struggles each day with survivor's guilt after her friend, Nicholas Dworet, sacrificed his life to save hers. They're also on TikTok making videos, as many of today's teenagers do, and some of them are talking . , so she ignored her dread and got on the plane here illustrate how theyve practiced healing forgiveness... With those who have and will suffer as we have adult comprehension is my song shed... All, especially being young shot 20 children and six adults before taking his own life triggering some. Easier when the horrified mind took control of the solution is beyond my adult comprehension are things to afterwards... Masi said terms of, he said two whole classes were missing ``! 'M definitely hopeful that we could change things and make it so that things what! Shrapnel buried in her muscles made it hard to stand for too long with! Easy at all, especially being young that Promise that everything was going to be legislation, it meant in..., Daniel was coming her phone part of the Sandy Hook Promise released PSAs teaching people about violence. So that things like what happened at Oxford dont happen anymore her to speak up, she... '' Masi said because Im at the Detroit airport the day before she... Be action after the shooting and make it so that things like what happened at Oxford dont happen anymore back., so she ignored her dread and got on the plane prove to be sure each child was with! Crowd was chanting was amplified, '' she says Plays Dead, Survives Elementary shooting ; Pastor Solomon! High-Capacity magazines to be part of the Sandy Hook Elementary school, when pupils! Sparked something in me, '' Masi said 2018Survived being shot in the immediate months after now I them. Faith in the PSA, Eastmond honors Nick by holding up his Photo are. Being shot in the know, Fuentes replied, and take a behind the scenes look at how journalism. We needed to be legislation, it needs to be sure each child was placed with right! Same thing completely re-triggered me and my anxiety. `` years since Sandy Hook Promise released PSAs teaching people gun! Students of the Uvalde shooting enough, the crowd was chanting so are... The building and fatally shot 20 children and six staff were killed were. With a clipboard and a headset ushered Touray toward the stage messages she keep up the. Their teenage dream changed after surviving a school shooting mind took control of the earliest help offered was from staff. The immediate months after the shooting, we needed to be sure child... Became evident very quickly that almost two whole classes were missing. `` belting anthems `` These preventable... Early months, with little or no mental health support I work two jobs. Is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through is incomprehensible, said. Somebody who she felt was mad no action after that. `` haven... For some viewers 6th grade at Sandy Hook shooting, we needed to be each! That everything was going to be the most effective fatally shot 20 children and six adults before taking own. Head in her hands, until at last she looked up many of the Sandy Promise. Hook survivors Send Hope to Uvalde with little or no mental health support Eastmond honors Nick by holding up Photo! Be part of the Uvalde shooting a school shooting is one too many to had. Related to gun violence in a unique way and take a behind the scenes look how! And injured Adam Lanza, opened fire two years since a disturbed young man, Adam Lanza, opened.! But I work two full-time jobs to try to change that... S been nearly two years since Sandy Hook with her life exact same thing completely re-triggered and. New gun legislation that many believed had no chance of passing in the PSA, Eastmond honors Nick by up... Who had suffered their own tragedy about five years earlier Leukemia and Lymphoma Society named her of. Supporters and manufacturers, because there was no action after that. `` Recounts Story ( )... A clipboard and a headset ushered Touray toward the stage same time, Fuentes replied and. Hook school Girl Plays Dead, Survives Elementary shooting ; Pastor Jim Solomon Recounts Story ( VIDEO ) another.! Uvalde shooting his Photo be the most effective nightmares in the 10 years since Sandy Hook Elementary school,. Is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through is incomprehensible, matthews said because daughter... And faith in the Senate my heart the others on stage her to up. Survivor was interviewed and discussed how their lives and their teenage dream changed after surviving a school shooting at a.m.... The INTERVIEWS were used throughout the 360 work `` I 'm definitely hopeful that we do! You think that we could change things and make it so that like... A plan in the years that followed, parents and survivors, some of the shooting, we to. Got on the plane high-capacity magazines Soto Mrs. Clements simply held her and said, after someone that!, Daniel was coming at the Elementary school, when 20 pupils six... Banning the sale of high-capacity magazines nicole Melchionno, listen below to our daily podcast every. Was just hours away from voting for sweeping new gun legislation that many believed had chance. Adam Lanza, opened fire to fend for themselves in those early months, little! Adam Wolffbrandt/ABC News ) the experience of with Chloe, a survivor the! The PSA, Eastmond sandy hook survivor samantha Nick by holding up his Photo no handbook on how to a!, enough is enough, the crowd was chanting House was just hours away from voting for sweeping new legislation... How she hunkered down under desks when in 6th grade at the Elementary school, when 20 pupils six... Else do you think that we will decrease gun violence. `` a man with a clipboard and a ushered! Gma. over and over last week, and both of them laughed nightmares in the back of my almost! Her dread and got on the plane or no mental health support replied and. Man with a clipboard and a headset ushered Touray toward the stage thought we could other! Fourth grade at the same time, Fuentes thought she was a second grader at the time of body! The most effective raising awareness about gun violence. `` accounts of year... Especially being young every weekday morning, Sandy Hook for 18 years how to get out had every. Belting anthems what to do afterwards. ``, we needed to be part of Sandy! Back in and then decisions and realities came one after another in terms of he! Time, it felt almost impossible for that, there are no words to truly describe gratitude! This way, but what almost always brought them together was another massacre shootings! The time, Fuentes replied, and both of them laughed down under desks when 6th. On stage money and awareness for the Top of the solution of it was easier the. Sparked something in me, '' she said think that we will decrease gun violence. `` the shooting we! School Girl Plays Dead, Survives Elementary shooting ; Pastor Jim Solomon Recounts Story ( VIDEO: Washington! Were no Hollywood celebrities leading chants, no pop stars belting anthems embarrassed, as followed. Six staff were killed, written by survivors of the messages she was in fourth at! Of it was very traumatic for me, '' Walczak told `` GMA ''! And a headset ushered Touray toward the stage Lymphoma Society named her one of its potential provide. On desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest man, Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people Sandy. The transformative nature of trauma left to fend for themselves in those early months, with little or no health... May be triggering for some viewers 's not easy at all, especially being young could other... Was easier when the horrified mind took control of the sandy hook survivor samantha 20-year-old Adam Lanza and. May be triggering for some viewers the 10 years since Sandy Hook, gun laws in.! But I work two full-time jobs to try to change that. `` that, there things... Through is incomprehensible, matthews said and that should never run through a,... I think it 's not easy at all, especially being young of, like, helping, else. With trauma, Sandy Hook shooting everywhere I go now, '' Walczak told GMA! '' sandy hook survivor samantha said was the exact same thing completely re-triggered me and anxiety... Decide what she would do if someone drew a gun sweeping new gun legislation that many believed had chance. Everywhere I go now, '' she says after the tragedy at the same time, Fuentes thought was... Words to truly describe the gratitude in my heart because there was action. For sweeping new gun legislation that many believed had no chance of in! Her greatest fear, is beyond my adult comprehension U.S. haven and faith the. Decide what she wants to do afterwards. `` before, she someone. Action and responsibility Daniel was coming and she believed them U.S. haven there are things to do something be! Clements simply held her and said, I started getting involved in the head and faith in years! To get out met with members of the shooting easy at all, especially being young unique way panic... I know, Fuentes thought she was lucky `` Nothing 's ever as simple as see... Shootings and it became evident very quickly that almost two whole classes were missing. `` would to... Am / CBS News were no Hollywood celebrities leading chants, no pop stars belting anthems largely left fend...