There were more than 17 victims at Douglas High School. Every student in the school, and many students around the nation, have been impacted by that tragedy.
A story from the Naples Daily News caught my eye over the weekend. It laid out just what is going on now with a few of these students in their “new normal” lives. They are far from normal.
The killer robbed them of innocence they should still have. He infected them with PTSD and irrational fears as they go about their daily lives. And you can’t blame them. One girl saw one of her closest friends gunned down and lying on the floor beside her. When the evacuation came, she left the friend behind not knowing if she would survive and feeling guild at leaving her.
It’s not all bad, they are a closer school community after sharing the trauma and they alone understand each other. They also report being closer with parents and family.
There are silver linings to that cloud that should have never been there.