A 20-year-old from Ocala, Florida who was accidentally shot in the chest, was saved by a crucifix which he was wearing.
Aidan Perry’s friend was showing off a gun when it accidentally fired. Aidan was about 8 to 10 feet away when the .40-caliber round hit him square in the chest.
But instead of tearing into his heart, the bullet slammed into the gold cross necklace he always wears — a Christmas gift from his dad.
Perry was transported to the HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and taken to the operating room.
Doctors say the metal slowed and deflected the shot so it went into his chest, out near his armpit, then back into his left arm and shattered his humerus. Serious injury, surgery, a lot of pain…but he lived.
The bullet reportedly went through Perry’s chest and exited near his armpit before reentering his body through his arm, resulting in a broken humerus.
Perry told FOX 25 that he thought he wasn’t going to make it after he looked down and saw “tons of blood” following the shooting.
“It’s just kind of a reminder now — to never stop believing,” he told the outlet, adding, “Keep believing and God’s definitely real,” he added.
Khafra Garcia Henry, a trauma surgeon who operated on Perry, said the victim is “a very fortunate young individual because if his chain was not there, the outcome would have been completely different.”
“When we normally see these injuries, they’re usually devastating injuries,” she shared.
In Perry’s case, Henry said that he was “fortunate” that the bullet “did not enter his chest wall.” She added, “It ricocheted off the chain he was wearing.”
Trauma surgeons called it “divine intervention.” Aidan agrees. He says God — and that little cross — are the reason he’s still here, even if recovery will take time.
The friend who fired the gun is now facing charges, and Aidan is focusing on healing, grateful for one inch of metal and a second chance at life.
(Picture Courtesy: Wesh 2 News)
