Beyond the physical: Rallygoers reflect on trauma, emotional scars that linger
One mom and daughter told KCTV5 they’ve been prioritizing their mental health since the deadly shooting on Feb. 14, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The trauma and emotional scars from last year’s rally shooting are still real for some families a year later.
Gabriella Majers-Darger, 14, loves working on puzzles. They help ease her mind. The high school ninth grader and her mom, Bridget Barton, have been prioritizing their mental health since the deadly shooting on Feb. 14, 2024.
“That was the one true experience that I did not feel safe at all, and I did not trust anyone,” said Gabriella.
For the first few months I was consumed by it,” Bridget added. “Even now, I hardly leave my house.”
Bridget convinced her husband to take the family to celebrate the Chief’s back-to-back Super Bowl victory. She said they were in direct eyesight of one of the gunmen.
“I pulled a slug from my bag,” Bridget recounted. “I washed blood off my daughter’s tennis shoes, and although we weren’t shot, this has changed our entire lives.”
One year later, the fear from that day lingers for the mom and daughter from Paola, Kansas. They said they’re triggered by fireworks and other loud noises. They often have flashbacks, and trips near Union Station are minimal, despite having a brother who lives nearby.
“It brings back memories of when it happened,” Gabriella said. “There’s this one flashback I get most of the time of everyone running past me and it makes me sad.”
Gabriella and Bridget are both in therapy. It’s treatment doctors like Jennifer Watts, who triaged victims of the shooting, said is crucial after witnessing a traumatic event.
“I cannot understate the importance of therapy,” said Watts, who is the chief emergency management medical officer at Children’s Mercy. “I mean, we’ve been open about, you know, being in therapy, helping us process some of this. What we saw were horrific injuries front and center.”
They are images Gabriella and Bridget said they won’t soon forget. However, they’re optimistic that, with time, their emotional scars will heal. “We’re better, but we’re not healed,” Bridget said. “We’re healing.”
KCTV5 reached out to several victims who were physically injured in the shooting. They respectfully declined our interviews.
If you or someone you know needs help, below is a list of some organizations and services:
Helplines and Hotlines:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMSHA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357)
- Crisis Text Line: Text “HELLO” to 741741
Mental Health Services:
- Mental Health America (MHA) of the Heartland: Offering educational resources, screening tools, and support. www.mhah.org | Phone: 1-866-927-6327
- Comprehensive Mental Health Services: Providing treatment for community mental health and substance use. www.thecmhs.com | 816-254-3652
- The Family Conservancy: Providing early childhood mental health programming, bilingual counseling, parenting education, and resources. www.thefamilyconservancy.org | Phone: 913-342-1110
- Cornerstones of Care: Offers adolescent and youth counseling, children’s and adolescent residential treatment facilities, community mental health, individual counseling, family counseling, and co-parenting workshops. www.cornerstonesofcare.org | 1-844-824-8200
- Midwest Recovery Centers: Long-term substance abuse treatment facility with a full continuum of care. Will be opening a mental health residential program in November 2023. www.midwestrecoverycenters.com | 816-599-7382
Support Groups:
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Kansas City: Offering peer-led support groups for individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. www.namigreaterkc.org | Phone: 1-800-273-8255
- SMART Recovery: Providing support groups for individuals working on recovery from addiction. www.smartrecovery.org
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