I was only a kid when the streets took my identity.

First, it was watching Tavo get shot in the head , right in front of me. Who would have known that 3 years later I would find myself in the emergency room fighting for my life too. 

It hasnt been easy growing up in Oakland , California. The shooting rates are stagerring and the homicide numbers never fail to shock.

you dont have to be a big bad gangster or money stackin drug dealer to get shot. In the past few years, we have lost babies in our community.

babies in our community that will never get a change to make it to a kindergarden graduation , an appointment at DMV to obtain their licence, a high school graduation.

I was on my way to graduate when it happened to me.

I left school never expecting that it would be the last time i would return as a student.

 The bullet came bursting through the window and exploded the right side of my face. Blood , teeth , bones and check appeared on the dashboard all mixed together in the bloody mess. Blood was skirting out of half of my face. All i could think about was my mom.

Its a miracle i am still alive.