I was pregnant with my second. We woke up early and in bed in the predawn hours my husband said there was a shooting on the strip. Then he said Billy was shot. I froze as it hit me it wasn’t just a small incident. It was big.

I looked at my phone and it had blown up with family from across the country making sure we were ok.

We marked safe on Facebook.

Thankful.

We were glued to the news.

I learned my brother in law and handful of other family friends were first on scene as first responders. My heart still breaks for what they had to see.

We learned Billy was a miracle and somehow survived, the bullet only millimeters from his heart.

In the days and weeks after I learned just how small Las Vegas really is. I had never been so heartbroken and so proud at the same time.

So I choose to not forget. I choose to remember the 58 who died and the thousands of others who have a new normal. I choose to be brave and still enjoy life despite the fact I now make exit strategies and think of ways to protect my kids, where we should hide if gunshots break out. I choose to be brave to let my husband join the ranks of first responders, driven to do so by October 1, knowing he could face the unthinkable at any point.

I choose bravery. I choose to be Vegas Strong.