Imagine you are at work in the middle of a meeting and your phone starts ringing. You ignore it because you are in a meeting, but your phone continues to ring and then a text message pops up saying "You need to call. JT has been shot." You immediately pick up your phone and walk out of the meeting only to here the words "JT has been shot in the head and is being taken to the hospital." You have no details about how this happened or his condition as you rush out of the office to the hospital, praying that your son is still alive.



During the afternoon on Thursday, April 13th, John Thomas (JT) Robinson was sitting on the front porch at his friends house when two individuals pulled up looking for one of JT's friends. They asked JT to call this friend so they could locate him which he did and when the friend was on the phone one of the suspects tried to take the phone from him. JT pulled his phone away at which point one of the suspects started hitting him and the other started beating him in the head with a gun. Before he had a chance to defend himself the gun went off and JT was shot behind his right ear.



When paramedics arrived at the scene JT was unresponsive. He was immediately taken to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to remove part of his skull to allow for the brain swelling. The initial prognosis was grim and JT was not expected to make it past the first 24 hours. On Easter Sunday, 3 days after the shooting the neurosurgeon said he was happy with where things stood, considering he did not expect us to be there at that point. Over the next 2 weeks JT made baby steps in progress, and opened his eyes for the first time 12 days after the shooting. Things started progressing a little faster after that, but not without setbacks along the way (pneumonia, collapsed lung, blood clots in his lungs, etc.). After 2 weeks he could communicate by giving a thumbs up or down for yes or no questions. At 4 weeks he was discharged from the ICU and transferred to another facility to focus on getting him off of the ventilator. At around 5 weeks, his girlfriend gave him a pen and a tablet and asked him if he could write something. He has been writing messages ever since. Unfortunately around 6 weeks he suffered another set back when the family noticed the right side of his brain was swelling again. After 2 CT scans, he was transferred back to the ICU at the original hospital and remains there currently. The CT scans showed bleeding in the brain and they are now monitoring him to see if he will need to undergo surgery again. And so continues the cycle of a few steps forward, a few steps back.



JT's mom has missed work every day since the shooting ocurred. She spends most days at the hospital along with his father, who recently retired from the NAVY, JT's twin sister Brittany, who recently finished her sophomore year of college and his girlfriend Sabrina who hasn't left his side. Someone is always with him so he never wakes up to an empty room.



Any money raised via this page will be used to offset gas, food, uncovered medical expenses, and financial burdens. Through everything, one thing remains uncertain and that is his long term prognosis. JT remains unable to use the left side of his body so he may need a wheelchair. This would require significant changes to their current house including ramps, widening doorways, installation of a first floor bathroom, etc. Please consider donating, sharing or praying. Every dollar and every prayer counts.

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