love-perform-aerial-43.html
1217 DECEMBER
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?i watched him shoot me,?
angela
gabriel says sadly. nearly one year ago,
angela
?s former boyfriend shot her 10 times while she sat in her bathtub on a wednesday morning. she had just put her children on the bus and was getting ready for work, but it would be no ordinary day. ?ose gunshots that penetrated her spine and shattered her shoulder would change her life and her children?s lives forever. ?at morning,
angela
kept calm. she relied on the business principle, ?clarity is power,? throughout the chaos. she spoke calmly to her shooter, to the paramedics, and even chatted with her nurses in the emergency room. ?as long as i could keep clear, i was able to get through it. i really believe along with god?s hand being on me, that being able to keep a level head is what kept me alive.?
angela
wants everyone to know that she is still herself, just without the use of her legs. ?i still have my mind. it?s just a matter of learning how to adjust and start living a modified life.? her powerful persona and charismatic presence outshine her paralysis. her big dreams are to deliver a ted talk, empower others, and meet oprah, but right now her goals are transitioning from her chair to the floor so she can play with her two-year-old son, and give him a bath. she goes to work at keller williams twice a week and also works from home. she is surrounded by her children, ages 22, 9, 7, and 2. ?ey rely on each other as a team and follow
angela
?s adage, ?together we achieve more.?
angela
just wants to be a mother to her children. her newest joy is her widened laundry room door. ?i can do the laundry now!? she boasts with a gleam in her eye. basic tasks like changing her son?s diaper and feeding him have become sources of pride, and driving and cooking are in her near future as well. ?e road to living alone with her children after her trauma has not been easy.
angela
spent four months in a rehab therapy facility in new orleans. she is getting stronger and surpassing milestones that once seemed impossible. her right arm was immobile after taking so many bullets, but now she has total range of motion. ?i?m just reclaiming my life. i want to get in the car and go see my son play football, see my daughter dance in ?e nutcracker .? ?e entire ordeal hasn?t turned her bitter but instead more grateful. ?i wonder what i would say to him. would i say, ?i?m angry with you? or ?look what you did?? live / e x c e p t i o n a l l i v e s by joy holden no. i would say, ??ank you.? he?s actually given me an opportunity to touch more people?s lives than i would have before this,? she shares. one truth
angela
repeats is that so many people are good. she had over 300 visitors in the hospital, and many people still reach out to her from all over the country. in her moment of tragedy,
angela
was encouraged by the hearts of strangers. in response, she is encouraging and empowering others, specifically those affected by
domestic
violence
.
angela
never thought she would be a survivor of
domestic
violence
. she prides herself on being strong, successful, and confident. but still, her relationship was marked by verbal abuse and consistent arguing. her former partner had only touched her in anger one time, but he had also threatened her that same night. she shares, ?he actually told me he would kill me, but i didn?t leave because i thought i could fix him. it took me awhile to realize that throughout our relationship it wasn?t me. it was him. he was broken, and i couldn?t fix him. at the end of the day, it all boiled down to control. he saw himself losing control of me.? after moving into a home of her own and finding success in real estate,
angela
had separated herself from that control, which was a catalyst for his
violence
.
angela
wants women trapped in
domestic
abuse to know that they can speak up. ?
domestic
violence
hides really well. shine the light on it. don?t be ashamed. love yourself more than you love your abuser. and, when you get ready to leave, have a plan. i tell everyone that what happened to me wasn?t just about me, but about so many other people. i want everyone to know that regardless of what situation you are in, you don?t have to stay there,? she says. no matter what you do, do not call
angela
gabriel a victim. she is an overcomer. she proclaims, ?my story gets me through the door, but that?s not who i am. i?m not this poor woman who survived
domestic
violence
and now is in a wheelchair. i?ve always been this woman with a voice, but the wheelchair is just the vehicle to get me where i need to be.? ? reclaiming life
angela
with her daughter, julie. 4 4 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 7
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