Less than four years ago, I traveled to Mandalay Bay with my parents and best friend for a business trip that my father was involved in.
The gleaming white pillars and gold fountains oozed a sense of wealth and luxury, and it was one of the most mystical places to be. Needless to say, Disney was out and Las Vegas was in--we felt like royalty in our own little hotel room.
As I woke up this morning, the sinking feeling poured out of my eyes as I opened Twitter to find dozens of "#PrayForLasVegas" posts from celebrities, activists, normal day-to-day individuals, and residents of Las Vegas themselves.
No words could amount to the pain in my heart, mostly because Las Vegas, I know how you feel.
It was December 14, 2012 at about 2:00pm. School was about to get out, and all of us were on the edge of our seats for the start of the weekend. I was about to head to cheerleading practice, and the Friday night football game was among my high school. All of the sudden, the loudspeaker turned on and my principal, a courageous young man who I never thought I'd hear choke back tears said with a somber voice:
"If you do not know already, 26 students and faculty at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut passed away this morning in a mass shooting by an armed gunman. Our thoughts go out to the parents and family members who were effected by this tragedy."
If you've ever gotten into a car accident, you'd know the feeling that set in my chest, the feeling of a quick loss of breath due to sheer astonishment and fear. To my right, I saw someone burst into tears and whip out their phone, only to call their aunt who supposedly had a child attending that same school that very morning. It seems that many people don't understand or feel much sympathy for such tragic events until it truly happens to someone you care about or love.
Needless to say, we've witnessed and felt a repeat of what happened to those 26 individuals last night in Las Vegas. In times like these, we need to unite as a community and help each other in the most important times of need. To those victims' families and friends, we hear your cries. We feel your pain. We're praying for you. Whether it was your friend, brother, mother, or boyfriend at the concert, we are thinking of you and wishing you all the best that the world can provide.
If you are in need of emotional support after what has happened, there are resources out there on both a local and national level that you can reach out to.
National Suicide Hotline, (Toll-Free) 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-784-2433
(For the hearing impaired, contact 1-800-799-4889, also toll-free)
The National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists (NACBT), (Toll-Free) 1-800-853-1135
American Psychological Association, (Toll-Free) 1-800-374-2721
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, (Toll-Free) 1-800-826-3632
National Institute of Mental Health, (Toll-Free) 1-866-615-6464
