On June 12, 2016, young women Patience Murray (then Patience Carter), Tiara Parker, and Akyra Murray went to the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, for a fun girls night. Together the friends danced until the early morning hours, kicking off Patience's first trip outside of her native Philadelphia. Tragically, the joy of that evening was cut shortwhen a gunman attacked the club, ultimately killing 49 people and wounding more than 52. Patience and Tiara were shot and survived, but Akyra (only 18), was killed. In the days that followed, Patience confronted her struggles -- physically, mentally, and emotionally -- creatively, first reading a poem entitled "The guilt of feeling grateful to be alive is heavy," at a press conference at the hospital following the shooting, then with her book Survive Then Live: The Patience Carter Story. In part one of this episode, Patience joins hosts Kelly and JJ to discuss her journey to healing -- from therapy on her legs, to PTSD, to wrestling with survivors guilt, to finding love in her now-husband, Akyra Murray's brother, Alex, to her work with the Gun Violence Survivors Foundation.
Mentioned in this podcast:
By continuing to browse, you consent to the use of cookies on this site.
By clicking OK below, you will be directed to a website operated by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, an independent 501(c)(4) entity.