3ABN Today - Parkland Florida School Shooting Survivor Story (TDY018018)

I want to spend my people I wanna spend my [Music] my [Music] hila heart that on us man [Music] and they will end people [Music] hello and welcome to 3abn my name is John Loma King and here we are in Coral Springs Florida with the Grady family many of you may have heard about the tragic shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in parkland Florida and we have the privilege today and an opportunity to interview one of the young ladies that were is a student at the the Douglass High School February 14th was a day that changed parkland for I would say forever and the events that surrounded that day are going to be recounted and shared through the life of Samantha Grady Samantha's so good to have you here today matter of fact it's good to be in your home and since we are not strangers it's good to see Sally and Jim thank you for giving us the opportunity to come in your home today and we know that with what happened at Douglass High School it's still fresh in your mind it's something that you will be living for some time and I know that with the tragedies and the things that continue to happen as a result of that day we are just praying for you and and we have been praying for you and we thank you for just giving us the opportunity even though we are family friends thank you for taking the time to tell us the story and Jim and Sally thank you for opening your home up to us and give us has given us a chance to get this story I want to just dive right into it Samantha tell us about take us back to February 14th at Douglass High School okay so as usual I was running late because unfortunately but I had to that morning I had a lot of things to do the night before I had this concert all County wasn't with my orchestra and I played in that so I was sleep-deprived and had a test the next day and I was just I was completely out of it but I had a go rush to my teacher get my course card signed and I had a lot of things to do that day so um I was as soon as I got to school I was rushing to do that and something like most days when I'm on time I meet with my friend Helena and we like walk to class together we have like a few like we chat before school but I didn't have time to see her today because I was just I was had to do a lot of other things so I went to my class ap psych and suffered through my test and then I met up with Helena and she gave me a little Valentine like with a person's picture on it that she knew kind of that I kind of like liked and then a nice lollipop and I was like I was really touched cuz like she knew exactly what I liked and it was I mean I cried and kind of because that's just who I am like when someone gives me something I'm just like oh my goodness thank you so much and so I was really touched and then we separated and I had to go to my personalization class and I was doing some homework and then there was a fire drill and then we all got up we left we came back in and we it was nothing like really big because was just like okay fine yeah it's a routine yeah and we were kind of annoyed by it because like I just got situated and the thing is with fire just now I have to take everything up so I just put all my stuff down and then I had to take them all up and go out so it was that was that's pretty much my day and then lunch and then we sat lunch we talked together we missed a group of us at lunch with Helena and a few other friends and we were talking and you know making jokes watching videos things that teenagers to do and then I went to physics and my class and then I went to Holocaust after physics and fire drills at your school are not a small event how many students about I'm Audrey stone Douglas high school around almost 4,000 it's a really really big school so when they say fire drill everybody has to go out I mean we all separated into our different zones so they just put that regulation and like a month ago actually so we're all separated into our different zones so some teachers go here and other teachers go another place so it's not all confusion because it used to be like everyone just got out but now it's more orkut it was more organized and what are some of the things that they did that day during because of the fire drill um well I mean what we just what we did in the first fire Joe we kind of just or just in the fire Joe we left the class we took all of our bags and stuff some people didn't because after a month you kind of started to get a little laxity like with like everything so you just don't think it's as important as it used to be so we just went to the senior parking lot we lined up and the teacher counted us to make sure we were all there and then they held up a sign thing all of our students are here then we just waited for the bell to ring and then we went back to class and then we did what we had to do in the class so that takes all about how long uh took more like a 20 minute okay yeah cuz the administrators had to go around and check everything so so yeah so this fire drill happened about what time of the day like 9:30 okay early part of the day yeah kind of get it out of the way not to break a class but after you had already gotten situated you though well we could really do without a fire drill yeah but when you look back on its some of the things that happened because of the fire drill were keys to keeping the casualties down because just to kind of clarify is it true that some of the classrooms remained locked because of the fire drill how does that happen well so according to my teacher that morning for some reason thank goodness the school decided to like reinforce like all of the security measures that they previously made because as I was saying before a lot of people were kind of like they were getting a little bit lazy with their keeping their doors unlocked you know so wouldn't be bothered by students going to the bathroom but this time they made sure like every store has to be locked which which really really helped and saved multiple lives so yeah all of the doors just like are locked in general not necessarily because of the fire drill but in general looks so like if the student has to go to the restroom the teacher has to like well they can open the door and go but the teacher has to Finnick like stop the lesson then go open the door for them when they come back so I mean I'm happy that those security measures were put in place yeah that proved to be significant as you said keeping keeping the casualty count down but there's something else that happened on February 14th you have a particular family routine that how you start your day let's talk about that so in the morning after I get dressed and I Russian eat me and my mother since my father is not awake yet because you know it's like really early in the morning we have worship we read a scripture sometimes we sing a song and then we talk about the scripture and what it means and then after that we pray and then we start the day of going to school and that particular day bringing your mom Sally so good to have you here tell us it through the microphone what scripture you read that day M Psalms 22 and it was my God my God why hast thou forsaken me and Samantha said to me but mom this was the this was what Jesus said when he was am dying on the cross and I said yes and she said well I didn't know it was in David wrote about it and I said yes and I started to give her you know a little quick synopsis of David when he was run away from Saul right yeah and then afterwards because time didn't have a lot of time I said to her and remember you're almost through high school now you only have a year and some more months to go and you have to be a witness God have you at this school for a specific reason and someone there needs to know about God I try and we noticed that by the way just to as we talked about just peeking into the interview and what was seen on NBC and maybe some other networks there was a piece that you had that I think contributed to the routine you have in your family of praying beginning your day with the God but then on that particular day you always have a particular prayer that you pray before you take Samantha to school that day yes we prayed we knelt and she prayed and I always prayed last and I pronounced the Lord I'm accident to take us to bring us safe on the road keep Samantha safe in school and bring her back home safe to us we pray this prayer every day and there was many times I say Lord we cannot make it without you going and leading and that was a pearl but what what meaning does that have to you beginning a day with God when I don't have worship I do kind of feel a sense of unease so like when I did as a routine I didn't think it was like important but when I don't have it I know that like I'm missing something so so it is it definitely does generate some type of calm some type like it does make me feel more like protected or that I'm okay going out in the world you know I'm not more safe but like you know I'm we're more confident that that you're not going by yourself yes the Lord is with you take us back so you had the fire drill everybody's back in class in class what actually what subject will you in at that particular time well during the fire I was in a personalization or study hall okay so I just had the whole two hours to myself like to do homework and stuff and so now take us to the scene as that unfolded the school is pretty much relaxed take us to the moments leading up to that tragic event so I was in my Holocaust class which is the class dedicated to like knowing about the Holocaust and spreading awareness and we were doing this iWitness program where we were like listening to the the tails or Holocaust survivors and the trials that they go through more specifically of the Olympics I believe of 1936 in Germany we were focusing mony up mainly on that and I was typing on my computer which took me a while to get on because it was like the internet was going crazy but I finally got on and I was typing my responses watching the videos typing like a little paragraphs and I was also listening to some music and I want cuz like that's what I mean like me and my friend we kind of just like it's not like we just had this bond over something and like I wanted to show her something so I'm just like look at this and she's like oh I don't know what that is but so I'm just like oh okay and then I took out my phone cuz I wanted to show her another picture it was Helena yes my friend Helena um I took out a phone cuz I wanted to show a picture of someone and then I heard this shot my friend Amanda my good friend she was sitting to the right of me and she ran as soon as she heard it cuz I guess her body just identified it and it took action but it took me like a few seconds cuz I heard the first shot I'm just like okay that's a thing is this real and then the second one it still didn't process but identified it but I'm like my body was still slow to react because I've never ever heard a gunshot in my life before that except on television and you don't really know when you're gonna write down tonight yeah cuz it's television was it loud very much so very very loud it wasn't deafening but it was very like I can tell it was close that's how I knew was something bad but my friend Helena she was behind me she pushed my shoulder and said Sam and that really jolted me so I ran to the left side of the classroom by this huge bookshelf and there was two cabinets there one big metal cabinet and then the one like tiny little like cabinet and there's a this big TV and not a TV but it's a smart board this big smart board so um we all ran there and we like huddled together trying to get out of the line a shot as much as possible the there was these guys there they they were very brave but they stood up and they pushed the one of the cabinet's over us not over us but like trying to block as much as they could before the guy came to our classroom because when he was when the first shots occurred he didn't come to our classroom he went to two others previously and people in the hallway unfortunately they were hit first so we had a little time to move ourselves away from the door out of the line of shot um so they pushed the cabinet in front of us we were crouching all squished together and then my friend Helena behind me she's like grab a book me real help grab a book I held up I grabbed like any book I could find I wasn't really concerned I held it up it was such a tiny book I really don't think it helped but it was more of like a defense mechanism just holding it up just like you know yeah reactionary yeah so something that I felt a little safer one thing though that I remember for some reason I was completely like and I was like I what my body was shaking but I was calm and I just had this surety nothing's gonna happen to me I don't know why I don't know how but I mean I think you felt this pain I felt this peace I just I'm like I'm not gonna die I knew for a fact I am NOT going to die not like you know it's reassuring myself I'm not gonna die I'm not gonna die it's not gonna happen it was just it was a confirmation yes it was a confirmation I'm like I'm not gonna die but and as soon as I went to them like I pray was praying constantly I'm like God it's all in your hands I didn't even say help me it was like it's all in your hands do you know what you're doing it's all in your hands I I mean I don't know how I prayed that prayer but it just felt right and like it's all in their hands everything is in your hands and then going on my friend Helena she was behind me told me the book I held the book up and then you could feel the impacts like not necessarily but it was like heavy like you could feel it hitting the wall like there's a certain thing - like a gun like you you just know like something's firing like you could heat it like the impact hitting the wall and then I felt it hitting my friend and by then had he broken through or yes he there was a he didn't come in the classroom because as I said previously thankfully the doors were locked and he was like kind of looking for a door but he was very much concerned about himself so he didn't want to be seen so he didn't really like open the door and like you know hey I'm here um so he shot through the window there's like a little glass rectangular thing he shot through the window multiple times so he could first get through the window because our windows are designed to kind of be a little barrier to a gunshot not are they big windows a little bit no they're tiny windows but they have like zigzags on there so it doesn't it doesn't go straight through like something like a bullet doesn't go straight through so he shot a few times trying to get like a hole big enough and then he continued to shoot in our classroom China you know students momento just randomly thankfully he like he didn't do like specific he was just randomly as much as he could but it ended up hitting my friend and hitting this guy and Nick who was right next to me he you know he unfortunately died and then unfortunately my friend did as well did you see the immediate impact on the people that were hit next to you uh kind of it was more like it was kind of slow motion because I seen Nick he was like standing a little away from me and then he laid down next to me not like laid down but he he loves he kind of lit collapse next to me and I was still moving away closer to the people that I was with because I I was kind of a little visual like they could you couldn't see me completely but I was like if I move my head a little bit I could see him so I'm just like if I can see him he could probably see me so I was trying to move closer to the people in front of me and I was completely on top of guy I mean they don't know him but I was completely on top of this guy I'm trying to get away and then my friend she she got hit multiple times I believe yeah and I uh that is that Helena Helena yes I seen her fall over and not fall over but slump to the right and I mean I knew like in my mind I'm just like I just seen this but it didn't I had to push it away because he was still firing I'm like I can't concentrate on that right now there was people crying they were in like I'm like and there was this girl she was crying she was texting everyone she knew because like she believed that this was her last moment and I had to calm her down because if I didn't he might you know come back or he might you know put a more target on us because he knew people were alive there and I think people covered her mouth but then she couldn't breathe so we let go but she was don't make noise don't get his attention exactly because um he wanted people to like scream and terror like at least from what I've heard he'd kind of like had that gratification so we kind of were just like don't do that that's what they want be quiet be quiet and we were just calming her down the whole entire time so yeah I couldn't really focus on it like I wanted to and I mean at one point I did lose my cool but it was like for a second I'm like no Sam stop continue just focus on what we have to do we will get out of this we got this just focus on a layer call nine-one-one do it you have to do and well I I ended up calling 9-1-1 I spoke to them and you know I told him the situation so in the middle of all of this you composed enough to call 9-1-1 for some reason yes I was he was still shooting when I called but he didn't he wasn't in our classroom okay it was randomly the bullet suggest it was I mean I didn't have time to like you know observe or I just I wasn't concerned about that I don't even know when I got hit I even know how I don't know any of that all I know is I was trying to move closer and closer closer up possibly that's when did you feel it I didn't feel the impact but I knew something happened okay like I didn't know exactly because I mean I knew something happened enough for me to be here because I felt as I said I felt like some liquid so I knew I was hurt in some way but I didn't think it was anything really because I didn't feel faint I didn't feel like I was gonna pass out so I'm just like okay it must be minor let me just continue what I'm doing and you were shut twice yeah well kind of I was crazed and then a fragment ricocheted into my chest so I still kind of fragments there but yeah I was kind of technically there was two bullets involved not only one so I didn't go straight there but um there was this girl her name was Kaitlin she was hiding behind this laptop cart she was right next to my friend Helena actually she was holding her hand and just saying it's gonna be okay it's gonna be okay but she was the one who told me that I had got grades like I knew something happened but as I said I thought it was minor and I didn't really like focus on it but like I was on 911 calling and she's like you got greys you gotta could check that out and I'm like okay okay okay but like I I'm like I'll do the I'll deal with that later I'll deal with that later but I'm like okay I said I was talking on the phone to the attendants on the 9-1-1 line and I'm just like my school is there's a shooting on my school I'm in the freshmen building I'm in I didn't know what room we were in I didn't have time to think that so I'm just like I'm in the freshman building somewhere we're in mâche misses class that's all I really remembered and then she's like hold on the line stay on the line stay on the line and I was shaking but I was calm like she said no matter what even if you have to drop the phone stay on the line well and like I don't like I didn't like how that sounded so in my mind I'm just like I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that because that means I would have a face-to-face conflict or I would have to pretend something I didn't want to pretend so like even during that time I was thinking of ways to pretend like you know that I was dead I'm just like so like there's a lot of things rushing through your face all these emotions thoughts what do I do next what do I not do I mean you're just trying to survive like you doing every animalistic instinct or every like any tiny like anything you just try like it's just coming back to you like from what you heard on the television from when you heard like what people did like from previous incidents everything is coming back to you at that moment just like okay so this is how people did to survive maybe if I do this but unfortunately it didn't have to come there's no checklist that you go it's like let me do this No and what did you get out of the question of why how did you get out well we heard voices a lot of man-like voices and we're just like I was speculative like what what is that so I thought it was a security right at the school or something and then I'm like no it has to be the police for us they wouldn't come in here but like as I said my friend she was inconsolable she's like it's not the police it's not that it's like it's it's a good like they're all together it's and she was very she was like very paranoid and very like distrusting and so we heard them and then like as I said there was a window and I could like if I move my head enough I could kind of see what's happening so I got a little courage just like moved my head and at the window I seen like the SWAT team dressed in all black had the helmets had like the huge guns but like I knew they weren't gonna do anything with them but they had the guns there and then they were yelling at us like who's in here are is anyone injured and we were telling them yes there's 30 people in here or I forgot the number but there's people in here there's people injured there's people we don't know how badly they're hurt and they're just like okay put your hands up and like I was holding my phone and we all had to put our hands up cuz at that time the shooter is still at large unfortunately so they didn't know if he came in the class and slipped in or anything so they were suspicious of everyone so I put my hand up he knocked down the window opened the door and he said who's injured and I raised hen because as I said I didn't feel anything but she told me that I was injured sounds like I I had doubt that I was injured enough to be seen because I know there was other people that were more but I'm just like let me just get it over with so I'm like I raised my hand he like you know he held the gun to me but like I knew enough I knew nothing was wrong cuz he was just being cautious so he has scored in me out too outside of the classroom then we went to there's a right side there's two exits to the freshmen building so I went to the right one and there with other people coming out of other classrooms and we kind of just like stood there for a second like glue there was a guard there we just stood there you were quite confused like oh are we safe are we not and then he said run so I didn't I I heard and I've never run that fast in my life so the officer just said well he said run so run we ran to the there's a street we went across the street to this Hill what how many of you are running about that um just the ones in your classroom no they didn't come out yet well because only the injured were taken out first and I was one of the injured so there was about ten of us that were just kind of like so what do we do now and you said run and then of course all these guys passed me because they're faster and I was just trying to run and I ran I didn't go across the street I ran behind a truck was there any smell of gunpowder in the air yeah I'll never really forget that there was like it was a combination of a smoke bomb because he said a smoke bomb so to get the fire alarm going so people would leave so he set a smoke bomb and the Gunpowder according to my friend it was like fireworks mixed with metal oh I'll never forget this smell but I don't know how do I done defy it so I'll just say fireworks it's a no-no but yeah it was present I didn't as I said I didn't really bother too much - I didn't retain it really too much because I know it's a contradiction but I didn't really retain it cuz I wasn't focused on it look so I'm like okay that's the smell let me just focus on what I have at hand trying to get out of the building so at this time then I let Helen I was still in the classroom yeah I mean she she didn't look okay she didn't look it didn't look good the situation did not look good at all I had a very strong leg premonition like I knew it wasn't it wasn't you know it what didn't look the situation didn't look good but as I still cling like I clawed at that one thread of hope I'm just like just in case maybe a miracle and I was praying to God for a miracle because I knew it would take a mirror well um yeah so I was just that that's the situation with Helena but yeah how long was it before were there students coming from other places at the same time or they just only injured right now we're coming out um well he the guy he mostly there was one building which he really hit the other students they were on lockdown so the whole of the rest of the school besides my well my area they were on lockdown so the people in those classrooms I was like five classrooms they they were just taking care of the injured first and then they were moving on to like the students were coming out but just more of the injured ones talk about Hellena a little bit here for us because you know you made references to her quite a bit tell us about it because she said my friend Elena she pushed me out of the way and I believe I'm here because of what she did yes how long have you known her since eighth grade so well I've known her since seventh grade but we didn't become friends since eighth grade like we were in the same class but I never really talked her only occasionally you know being friendly but in eighth grade so next to each other in in science and then we talked you were you know doing my friends to teasing other people not teasing but like you know like making it access you know so we were doing that we you know pretended we were like you know certain people and I think it was just teenager yeah exactly so we had a lot of jokes and a lot of other things but you were not just friends at school yeah life outside of school yes we went on a cruise together in freshman year of high school we went to we went out to eat whenever like often she was like always here for my birthday's you know always gave me gifts Christmas she came over once you know give me gifts and whatnot we had a pretty good friendship you know we had an inside jokes we had she was just a beautiful person in general she was the sweetest of anyone I know she was always caring she was really accepting of who you are even if you were completely maxed like I was huh but she she was very accepting who you were she didn't really discriminate and she she was always there to talk to like she she actually she gave really good advice did she ever come to church with you yes actually I'm for good like two months consecutively every week she would come to church well um and she enjoyed it for a while you know it was nice cuz I mean we're a family at church and we're very welcoming to everyone and she was my good friend so every as soon as like as soon as she came like all my other friends there they all welcomed her you know Samantha's friends yeah and they learned her name then personality and though she was very very special in all of our hearts and year 17 and she's 7 she was 17 she was 17 now but now you're outside the school they told you run what did you run - I ran behind a truck because during the class when things are I was trying to call my parents but I was on the phone with 9-1-1 so I couldn't hang up on them well so I'm just like Alea can I borrow my for your phone she said yes then she never actually gave it to me because she was she was ones like you know scared so I'm just like okay so I knew I had to call them as soon as possible so I ran behind this big van truck thing and I'm like okay I called them I'm like mom hello and she was just like hi you know cuz she didn't know anything that was happening it just happened so I'm like mom there there was a shooting at school I'm hurt but I'm okay it's okay I'm fine everything's okay if you don't see me I'm in an ambulance on my way somewhere I was hurt a little bit don't worry I'm okay I was mostly focused on calming them cuz I didn't want them to because my mom she's very you know she's a mom yeah and my dad you know I just I didn't want them to worry too much about anything that was really happening you know and where were you Sally when the call came through I was in the kitchen making a sandwich to take for her because I was gonna pick her up at the park or three to take her for a CT review okay and then the phone around I saw her name came up and I said hello Samantha and then I heard some noise in the background and she says I'm hurt so what are you talking about Angie I'm hurt but I'm gonna be okay there's a shooting at this school I said where you I ran out of the house and Jim drove I mean he had you know he was so good getting there squiggly I was barefoot that I was running and I had him did the towel over my shoulder and it was just it was just so scared and when we got there no and I decided to call her then I realized that the phone the battery had died so we and everyone was on their phone calling their children to see what happened to us panic everyone was panicking and then there was a gentleman standing beside us and I borrowed his phone and I called Samantha we didn't get her but we left the number left the mess then and she called back and the gentleman gave me the phone and said it is her and then she said mom I'm on my way to North Broward Hospital okay I'm so we went there so that's where you met up with your mom Jim where you were driving give me an account of what you think of this when you're driving and you hear the word shooting and what's going through your mind hmm it was a worst day in my life the worst minute of my life she's the most precious possession God gave us 17 years ago and I love her beyond belief and she's she's my life she's my life and I drove like a lunatic to get to the school and I there was police cars and ambulances all around and I got within about a half a mile of the school and they made us park the car and we jumped out of the car and we ran ran ran to the school and I tried to get a phone I have my phone has never been cha have it not charged in the ten years I've had my phone it went blank it was out it was on I could not believe I couldn't we couldn't get get to her I asked the policeman for his could I borrow his phone he said no I says can I go in no you can't you got to stay back it we had no I felt helpless pretty much no idea what was going on in there but people are running and running toward the school all the parents were going crazy nobody knew anything that was going on we just knew the cops and a helicopter and it was just I finally borrowed a phone from this nice guy he let me take the phone and we called her and I think you took the phone and spoke to Samantha and she said she was on the way to the hospital was what hospital North Broward I said that's all I wanted to know hung up the phone I said come on let's go we ran back to the car and all I know is Broward North Broward is about 20 minutes from where we were but the traffic was backed-up it was unbelievable and I says I can't take this and I went and the other Lane I hope the police aren't listening to this I went in the other Lane and drove and just drove like a madman I went through the lights and she's screaming what do you take it easy take it easy PS I got to the school in probably 10 15 minutes went to the hospital I mean to the hospital I passed ambulance I passed everybody and we got today we got to the ambulance I mean we got to the hospital but the trauma you're going through trauma now also both of you are so you guys finally got to the hospital were there a lot of cars at the hospital was was the hospital was it showing any signs of the trauma that was happening or people just did you see other people rushing there there was all kinds of havoc going on at the hospital and what really upset me is I heard she was okay because I had spoken to her but I just didn't believe it I wasn't sure and what really bothered me was when there was a police officer saying all right family all family from the school go down that aisle and go into that room it was about seven desks with women sitting there what paperwork name what's the name and I was Samantha Grady Samantha Grady Samantha Grady no she didn't come in yet I said okay but she left the hospital like an hour ago no she didn't come in yet okay thank you and we're standing around and woman well lady walks in and says Samantha I got Samantha Grady we said that's us that's us so she took us up to the room and so Samantha when you see your parents tell us about that moment I was laying down and I was just like okay I was sitting calls from everybody making they were like are you okay I was confirming I'm fine and then at one point like I've kind of like motions came like everything came back I finally let myself kind of have emotional anything and I'm just like oh my goodness and I started bawling and then the event ambulance or just like it's okay it's okay it's fine but one thing I do distinctly remember is this we were going we were like at the hospital and all I would was I like I was literally like singing I didn't want to embarrass myself because I'm just like you know I'm kind of in a situation but I was singing God will take care of you like the whole time like I knew I was fine but over and over I'm like be not dismayed where the Falak I will take care of you and then I was singing the chorus it was my dad's favorite song so I'm just like singing it over and over again and then they're just like it's gonna be okay it's gonna be okay and I'm just like let me think and like even when I was in the trauma room you know when they were you know putting the IVs in checking if I was okay I was just like God will take care of you and I was singing over and over and like the personnel there they were just they were kind of looking at me strangely I'm just like let me just saying stop looking at me I don't care I'm gonna say did you know I mean I just felt that mmm because you knew that you were you were not there because God had overlooked you and it's it's one of those sour moments but the sweet moments because you're thinking of your friend Helena and as you had this emotional reality check you know okay i navigate it out of that the lord guided me he protected me but my friends gone what happened when you thought about that um well as I'm saying I left before Helena was checked you didn't know what that I didn't know I mean I really I figured and I was kind of like I was kind of sure but as I said before I was like holding on to any like so I'm just like maybe they got her out maybe the miracle happened while I wasn't looking cuz I was just I was on my way out so um as soon I was as I was taken care of you know people are trying to distract me but I was like any news on this girl named Helena Helena Ramsey she has a mole right here and I was describing her to everybody and then they were like no that we don't have we don't see her because she wasn't at that Hospital I'm like no we don't see her we don't see her and then my parents came and I was so happy to see them but I couldn't like I'm like I'm not gonna cry because they are gonna be worried so I'm just like I was smiling and like I'm okay I'm fine and I was trying to like not lighten but like I was trying to be like I'm okay yeah my dad he was worried it was all over his face he just came in a rush to my side I'm just like I am here I'm fine I'm okay and then my mom she came in and I'm like I was holding her arm and like I'm fine I'm here I'm okay and so there you are the medical team is giving you two what did you find out what it actually happened to Helena so we I was just charged in the hospital like everyone from church came like it was it was surprising how much people it wasn't surprising but it was just like oh my goodness news travels yeah it was really really quickly just stopped their lives and just came to your side yeah which was it was it's great because you know they're like they're my brothers and sisters and my family you know my second family so we you know the hugging in yo oh not hugging cuz I was kind of like you know um but they were like as soon as they came and I started crying and like and then my Helen his best friend her like she grew up with her like me and her we're close but like this girl she literally they were in late diapers together um she came in like she is very strong I have to say that um she came in and I I was bawling as soon as I seen her I'm like I was bawling because she was the first person who like me sides my parents after she was the first person who I called or who called me it's the first woman who called me after the incident because she was like she knew me and Helena were in the same room and I'm like it does not look good but keep hoping and keep praying so she came into the hospital room and I was just like and I started bawling and like I asked for a hug and I'm like any news any news any news she's like no we can't find her we came to this hospital but she's not here and they literally went everywhere to find her and then I went to bed because I had - it was like 1:00 in the morning and I had a ghost and we had to do the interview with NBC that morning at like 6:00 so so they just charged you yeah they discharged me at like 7:30 issue I wasn't in there for a long time but I was sleeping and I kept asking like give me any updates and then Helena's mom she was one who texted me she's like I'm sorry to say this but Helena passed away yesterday Sam she loved you very much I'm like for a moment there I was just like I had no like it's not I had no emotion I was just is this real I had a yeah I had to process everything and I just I didn't know what to think and then my mom is like sleeping right next to me because you know it was a traumatic experience and they didn't want me to sleep by myself so I I started crying and then like my mom woke up and she's just like what's what's happening and I'm like and I showed her the text and she's like oh no and then I started recounting everything that I did but like Ilana how she was amazing how like it's just her personality you know all the fun things that we did like everything I was recounting to my mom and I was crying and the whole night I couldn't really sleep after that and then like during the night I kept getting phone calls from all of her Lynas friends and like em called me which was her best friend who she grew up with they all called me in they were all crying and I'm like how is this is real like what what it was more of it was very like I was trying to process everything you don't think of losing a friend you don't you definitely did I long before that have you guys celebrated her birthday well my birthday we celebrated on the Sunday just as something the Sunday before some like three or four days before and then her birthday was a month before she's a month older than me she was a month older than me so we celebrated her birthday but I gave her a shirt you know cuz we were into thinking Korea I'm sorry I gave her shirt I'm talking about like a drama she like she took pictures of it you know using like a mosaic ute like filters and whatnot and like that's what we did for her birthday but the last that like not the last time I seen her but the time that I celebrated something with her was the Sunday before so all of a sudden this close friend you know comrade in and out of school he's no longer here you know 17 years old is not the time you know I looked at some of the news and there are a lot of people that are going through pain parents some of the children range in age 14 15 16 a two or three adults I think were also tragically victimized by this shooting but a lot of young people you know when you think of your age you think okay I'm planning for college have more you and I are talking about kind of school do you want to go together not together but you yeah she wanted to go back to England because like that's where she was born hold it yeah so she wanted to do school there something abroad because she's just like America's just not for me at the moment so she wanted to do something abroad she was fair she was an anti-american she just didn't like she's like a whole it wasn't her home so she wanted to go abroad London Spain like something in Europe so they were looking into that and I wanted to stay here nova or andrews or something so we would be separated for college but like we were we were i mean it's the time of the year and it's the time of our lives where we discussed college fair a lot so that was most of our conversation you know the best friends anyway yeah of course of course boy so how does how has that impacted your life now you because you're gonna be getting ready for college you're gonna be taking your SATs practicing for that pretty soon here and and you think of because there are a lot of young people that are probably listening to this interview because this story has just rippled throughout the nation and i would say throughout the world and because 3abn is a worldwide network it's it's being seen in countries where this kind of thing doesn't happen what do you say to young people that say well you know I've got a lot of time I mean I'm just a teenager what's the message if any if this all experiences truth with anything it's that we don't have a lot of time like not necessarily a lot of time but not as much time as you think because it's like not even me but like I know a lot of people are just like oh you know I'll wait I'm at this stage in my life I have to focus on school I mean God is fair but you know let me just I have to do this I have to you know they make a lot of like sacrifices for like their faith and not only that but like they're just a lot of people that I've come in contact most they're they're not really like they just like the foundation like God is not God is there God is present but they don't have a close relationship with God and I admit like at one point I was low key like that as well but it's just like God was there but he just wasn't a forefront in their lives and I mean out of this whole experience God should be he when he should be the center and the focus because you should have that not surety but you should not be scared of what's going to happen to you like when you die like when you know the resurrection and whatnot like you should not be scared of what's gonna happen to you should you should know it wasn't a show you just have an assurance it's not necessarily a full assurance but you should have like be like not not scared of death or not scared of you should know God that's like just go closer to him although it's like challenging now and like everything is against it especially now you know religious is like people being religious is bad just cling to God because he literally is the only thing that can like help you so your relationship with Jesus now in that prayer that prayer like that was as you said earlier maybe a routine okay let's do this come on wear to school mom's going to prayer with me way to go and all of a sudden you look back at that with a completely different viewpoint it's like it means something to me now and not that it didn't mean anything but now it has a stronger staple it's like yeah God is available to the 17 year old to the 14 year old to the teenage in a world where there's so much instability where let's get to the media part of life with my phone is like my right hand not really my Bible yeah my Instagram my facebook my Twitter my snapchat all these types of things are just so much a part of my life the technical aspect but then when you hear gunshots those things all of a sudden they don't matter anymore it's a moment that life you know you like that one of the questions I want to ask you is it you know you you came face-to-face with something that most people would never have to experience your life could be decided by the next pull of a trigger how has that impacted you tell me has it made you stronger has it made you weaker what kind of impact has it had on you to be honest I'm not like sure I mean at the moment I'm like kind of yeah but I mean I guess in a way it'll have like strong I had I'll have like two different effects because stronger emotionally stronger you know more really with my relationship with God but weaker in the sunset like you know it's just it's a daunting situation yet if someone has to face and you know any kind of like reminder of that it's not necessarily a good one and like the emotions that all rise so it's not it I mean in a way it's gonna make me stronger as a person yeah but just you know all things are always gonna come back to you and and that's not necessarily weak but it's just like reminder it's a reminder of the experience in other words it's a cut it's like a you know it's like that that that tag that just keeps hitting your window when the wind blows are like that the chimes that keep along every time to storm you hear the chimes but you'd think it's the storms that make me remember the chimes are outside in the mud and sometimes life comes and the chimes are beautiful they make wonderful sound but you don't hear them unless the storm comes and and God's voice is sometimes like that he's the chimes in the midst of a terrible storm he reminds you that I'm you may not pay attention to because there's no wind blowing but now you hear me I'm here excuse me the first thing when Samantha came home the first thing I heard her say is now I'm convinced I want to be a doctor we're looking for medical school because she wants to be a doctor but she says I am so convinced you have to seen these kids they need help she went around checking their pulse yeah that's interesting so she says she really did they need her and she wants she's convinced now she wants to be a physician right sweetie yes I'm during the ordeal I was in the classroom and I was there saying the person who laid down next to me um like it was kind of a little obvious because you know his eyes are open he was just like not staring at anything but like I checked his pulse and I checked I didn't know if I was doing it right because I'm I don't know anything about that and I checked his pulse here and I didn't feel anything and I checked this place here and I didn't feel anything and then I'm just like but there was the girl who was right next to him Helena she also checked Helena's pulse um and she also didn't feel anything but I didn't trust it because I'm like we're kids how do when we know about pulsing and I never actually found a pulse on a real person before so I'm just like I probably don't know anything but like I told her I don't think so and she's like okay so like I did check people's poll I checked his pulse and I mean like just the whole ambulance ride like when I seen them helping there was two of us in the ambulance when they seen them helping her keeping her calm knowing what to do knowing what to and like all of the lingo that they were using I'm just like not only necessarily just to be smart and understand the lingo but like I have to become a doctor not just because I have to it's I mean helping people was always my main goal it's a dr. Cole I mean I always wanted to open or like work at a free clinic you know whenever I got situated you know I'm sorry you might even work in the trauma unit which you were so composed and mis'ess's trauma yeah I'm a so I'm a I don't know where life is gonna take me where God's gonna take me but I mean there's a whole bunch of possibilities but all I know for sure is that I do want to be a doctor now now on a different side of this whole incident because this was something perpetrated by a former student you know people look back in the media they're they're you know they're three stories what the media has found out so far what the person himself knows and then the third side of that what would you say to the person that maybe knows of someone who maybe is attending a school that has the erratic behavior or may be displaying tendencies to be violent and they're not really what would you say to them what kind of reactions should should be what what are their responsibilities well I don't want to be blunt and saying get you can get them help but you know where you kind of have to just be aware of who they are they keep a watch on them but don't like wait until something happens because I mean you don't know when it's gonna happen but there's always this point where there's a possibility you just like make sure that they talk to someone make sure that there's someone in their life be a friend to them because many times people who are like people who you know have these tendencies or who do these are awful tragedies they're the ones who are by themselves they get bullied they're the ones who you know they have no friends that like that's what makes them go off not all the time but that's the common factor in all of them that they have no friend and they're just and they have traumatic things happening in their lives and like with parents and so just be a friend to them don't discriminate against anybody be there for a person because you don't know exactly what's going on and although they may be crazy and although you don't want to associate yourself with someone like that just be nice you don't have to be their friend just be nice to them be cordial you know make sure that if they start displaying things to you make sure that you tell someone don't don't be like oh I can take care of this by myself just good someone because you don't know maybe they thought if the person has more resources to help the situation and to you know steal the problem like a teacher or principal or guidance counselor or parent because sometimes young people think I don't a tattle I want to be there yeah to tail bear I don't want to be the one that's everybody saying you know Samantha's gonna tell all the meth is going to tell but in moments like these sometimes that's a stopgap that's the way that people find out as you go from this point what one final thing you would say to those listening to this interview well as I was saying before our trust God rescue will always be there for you just cherish those around you where you stand with God like know where your heart lies know where your attentions are don't have any thing really kind of distracting you from having a relationship with God because in the end those are the important things friends family and God God is the most important that's right but you know you still have to have like just put pride aside and just talk to people like you know have a relationship and just know God that's pretty much it just have a relationship with God Samantha good to see you going up so wonderfully we're gonna pray for your healing for your recovery and for those of you who have been watching this program we just want you to know here at 3abn we believe in the story of redemption the story of God can heal God can recover God can restore we're praying still for the families that lost their sons and daughters at Douglass High School here in Portland Florida but we know that as we keep trusting God and living each day with the reality that he is coming soon the healing will take place in eternity for Samantha and for all of those who are now having to go on with that empty space in their lives you know we always pray and ask God to guide us and our prayers for you is that you will know as Samantha has come to discover that Christ is the most important one that we need to have in our life so for those of us here here at 3abn and for the Grady family thank you for taking the time to tune in this is John lama kang until we see you again may the lord bless you [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN)

Views: 23,589

Rating: 4.6641221 out of 5

Keywords: 3ABN, Three Angels Broadcasting Network, yt:quality=high, shooting survivor story, Parkland Florida school shooting survivor story, Christian trials, Samantha Grady

Id: kIjqy1dwxhU

Length: 58min 0sec (3480 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 05 2018