Fort Hood Shooting Survivor Patrick Zeigler Appears on 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'
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After surviving the shooting massacre at Fort Hood, Staff Sergeant Patrick Zeigler was given a new home and a wedding on the ABC reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," reports WFAA.
After being shot four times - including once in the head - during the Fort Hood massacre, Zeigler was left with a hand and foot that barely worked. He was the last victim of the shootings to leave the hospital, and thanks to his hard work he defied doctors' expectations by learning to walk again.
Zeigler proposed to his long-time girlfriend once he was out of the hospital, and he returned to work at Fort Hood not long after that. To honor his perseverance after the shootings, the ABC program came to Texas to build him a new house with the help of 3,000 volunteers.
Additionally, the show funded Zeigler's wedding, throwing a military celebration and giving his bride Jessica a designer dress.
"My wedding day was a culmination of the entire year that we had just gone through together," Zeigler said during the broadcast. "When I saw Jessica, it took the breath out of my chest. I couldn't believe I was about to marry this woman."
Zeigler also expressed gratitude to the show for helping him start a new life after the shooting.
"Looking back, I realize I have to cherish every moment of my life, because, life is very fragile, and I have an entire new life to look forward to now," he said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 61,000 people are killed by firearm violence every year in the United States.
People who have survived gun violence may wish to turn to the Trauma Resource Institute for information on how to cope in the wake of a shooting.
After being shot four times - including once in the head - during the Fort Hood massacre, Zeigler was left with a hand and foot that barely worked. He was the last victim of the shootings to leave the hospital, and thanks to his hard work he defied doctors' expectations by learning to walk again.
Zeigler proposed to his long-time girlfriend once he was out of the hospital, and he returned to work at Fort Hood not long after that. To honor his perseverance after the shootings, the ABC program came to Texas to build him a new house with the help of 3,000 volunteers.
Additionally, the show funded Zeigler's wedding, throwing a military celebration and giving his bride Jessica a designer dress.
"My wedding day was a culmination of the entire year that we had just gone through together," Zeigler said during the broadcast. "When I saw Jessica, it took the breath out of my chest. I couldn't believe I was about to marry this woman."
Zeigler also expressed gratitude to the show for helping him start a new life after the shooting.
"Looking back, I realize I have to cherish every moment of my life, because, life is very fragile, and I have an entire new life to look forward to now," he said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 61,000 people are killed by firearm violence every year in the United States.
People who have survived gun violence may wish to turn to the Trauma Resource Institute for information on how to cope in the wake of a shooting.
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