Exactly eight months after surviving the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, Sheldon Mack walked onto the field at Royal Athletic Park on Friday evening.
The crowd gave the 21-year-old a roaring welcome as he made his way to the mound to throw the ceremonial first pitch as the Victoria Harbour Cats kicked off their 2018 season.
“It’s going well, I’m back at work, I’m back to my normal self,” said Mack.
Last October 1st, Mack was in a different city and in a much larger crowd celebrating his birthday, it nearly cost him his life.
He was among the estimated 500 people injured when a gunman opened fire from a hotel room window on thousands gathered below for a country music festival in Las Vegas.
58 people were killed.
Mack was hit by a bullet that broke his arm and struck him in the abdomen.
Despite being injured himself, Jimmy Grovom, a paramedic from Orange County, California, stayed with Mack and kept him from bleeding to death.
Erik Frazier used his truck to ferry 14 victims including Mack and Grovom to the nearest hospitals.
Mack, the son of former CHEK News anchor Hudson Mack, spent more than a week in a Las Vegas hospital before returning to Victoria to continue his rehabilitation.
“It was kind of slow start, it was kind of difficult and frustrating,” he said.
“But (it) just took the time and its all kind of panned out, just happy its all worked out.”
Mack returned to work at the Bard & Banker in downtown Victoria about 4 months ago.
He thanked all those on the Island and beyond who reached out to offer him and his family support during his recovery, and admits that he’s not the same young man who flew to Las Vegas to celebrate a birthday just last fall.
“It takes that kind of thing to make you appreciate things,” he said.
“But yeah, its a whole new light.”
Ben O'Hara
