It has been more than a year since the February 14, 2018 mass shooting at Parkland, Fla.’sMarjory Stoneman Douglas High School claimed the lives of 17 students and staff members. But the emotional fallout hasn’t ended.
To honor the memories of those lost and help raise awareness of the mental health issues that can linger after gun violence, PEOPLE spoke with six Parkland students about their experiences then and now.
Carlos Rodriguez finally felt safe when he immigrated to the United States from Venezuela at age 8.
Gone, he thought, were his sleepless nights, where he feared someone would rob his home, kidnap his sisters or murder his family. When he moved to the U.S., he says, “I felt so safe because all I knew prior to that was fear.”
That all changed last Feb. 14, when a gunman opened fire and killed 17 people at his Parkland, Florida, school.
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One of the fatal victims was his friend, Joaquin Oliver, who was also born in Venezuela. Hearing the news of Joaquin’s death “completely broke my heart,” the 18-year-old says. “They moved here because their parents thought it would be better for their future.”
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“We try to give them a voice because they have the capacity to inspire, motivate change and heal themselves,” he says.
To Rodriguez, the recent suicide deaths at his school show how important it is for gun violence survivors to communicate about their feelings — even if many “don’t want to talk about it because they just want to put up a mask and say that everything’s okay.”
“I want to try to connect with those people,” he says. “To let them know that there is light and that there is hope, because I, myself, have been in those dark moments where I don’t want to get help.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “home” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
