Shooting victim left paralyzed shares experience with UofL students during Gun Violence Prevention Week

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Terrell Williams sat in a lecture hall at the University of Louisville School of Medicine Thursday discussing with students and staff what he thought were the final moments of his life.

“In my mind, I knew I was about to die," Williams said. "I just knew it. There was no way I was going to survive.”

Williams was shot in his West Louisville neighborhood on March 29, 2017, while someone tried to steal his car. The bullets hit his spine and paralyzed him, confining him to a wheelchair forever.

“Being able to walk, run, play sports, everything, totally independent for 21 years and in an instant, it’s over," Williams said.

Williams told his story as part of UofL’s Gun Violence Prevention Week.

Rachel Safeek, a second-year medical student, was in attendance. She listened to Williams’ story while thinking about her own from Oct. 24, 2018.

“There was a shooting at the Kroger," Safeek told WAVE 3 News, “and I remember one of the victims of that shooting was somebody who was very close to one of the faculty members with whom I was working at the time. And when you see something like that happen in your community, it really moves you to want to do something about it.”

The shooting moved the aspiring surgeon to organize the UofL gun violence prevention program as a way to prepare herself and her classmates to make a difference before they step into the operating room.

“Doctors have a very close relationship with their patients," Safeek said. "They’re trusted by their patients. So we should take advantage of the fact that we have these relationships where we can talk about these difficult issues.”

That bond between doctor and patient is one Williams hopes can save a shooting victim’s life, just as his life was saved.

“Just having that person there for them that they can relate to is real helpful," Williams said.

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