This girl is about to embark on her life journey, with the goal of helping others.
One man attempts to steal it all away, yet another will not allow that to happen.
Her name is Lacey Scroggins, the daughter of a pastor from Oregon. She’s your typical teen with an added interest in caring for her adopted horse named Tucker.
Lacey is also a caregiver, compassionate about helping others as she’s an active volunteer at her local Senior center.
This caregiving passion led her to Umpqua Community College where her two big goals were to enter the the nursing program and then eventually become a surgeon, hoping to be able to serve and save the lives of others.
It’s only the 4th day into her college classes, and the unthinkable occurs. A gunman enters her classroom, shoots the teacher and then begins firing at the students in the room.
What can possibly go through a young students mind during such a horrific incident? All that Lacey’s mind could rationalize was that this must be some sort of drill. There’s just no way that people are being gunned down inside a classroom. Unfortunately that was the reality. As the gunman drilled the students as to what religion they were, and immediately gunned down those who answered “Christian,” Lacey could only lie on the ground in complete fear. The terror suddenly escalates as a shot goes off right next to her. It’s her former high school classmate, Treven Anspach, who has just been shot.
Then something that Lacey is yet unable to talk about occurred. Something that would completely change her future forever. She was the next one in line to be shot, yet suddenly she found someone struggling to give her shelter. Someone who was struggling to do one last thing during his last few seconds on this planet. It was Treven. Lacey’s father explains:
“She felt the weight of his body on her. She opened her eyes and he was lying in the same direction as her, a little bit ahead of her. Then she saw his blood coming under her arms. She heard a gurgling sound coming from his throat and felt him move closer to her to cover her.”
”And then at that time, she said, ‘I heard the shooter over me say, ‘Get up.’”
Lacey froze and the gunman asked another person, “Is she dead?” referring to Lacey.
The person said, “I don’t know.”
The gunman, likely thinking Treven’s blood was Lacey’s assumed she was dead and stepped over Lacy, continuing his reign of terror on others.
“The blood of that boy, Treven, saved my daughter’s life,” Scroggins said. “I know it as well as I know that I’m sitting here. He will always be the Scroggins’ hero, from this point forward.”
Treven’s mom spoke with Lacey’s father after the horrific incident. She told him, “I want you to love your daughter, hold your daughter, kiss your daughter every day of your life. We have a connection, and every time you hug your daughter, I’ll be hugging my son.”
Lacey has since been encouraged to get out and begin the process of trying to live a normal life, naturally starting out by spending time with her loved ones.
Lacey will indeed move forward. She plans on finishing nursing school and no doubt her goal to help others is even stronger than before. It is not just her goal anymore either, but Trevens as well. She no doubt will move forward knowing what Treven did for her, and knowing that everything she does for others from this point on, she is doing in Treven’s honor.
Share this story so we all can take a bit of light away from this darkest of moments. It’s people like Treven who we now need to focus on and honor. Make his name known and cherish that at least one life was spared due to the heroic efforts of a man who spent his last moment as a true hero.