WLRN has been documenting the effect of gun violence in South Florida. Much of the community conversation to date has focused on children and teens who have been killed by bullets. Gun-related injuries are the second leading cause of death in Florida and the United States. So when we looked at the numbers from the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, we were surprised to learn that most--almost 90 percent--of the young gunshot wound victims who make it to the ER actually survive. We were also surprised to learn how little is understood about the trauma carried by those young survivors, their families and our community.

With this series, we hope to highlight what it means for a child or teenager to survive gun violence in South Florida--the experience, the legacy of trauma, the unanswered questions.

This project received editorial support from NPR’s Audio Storytelling Workshop.

Feedback

We want to hear your responses to these stories. Join the conversation on Twitter: @WLRN #YoungGunSurvivors.

You can also email email smack@wlnnews.org, email ngreen@wlrnnews.org or email rmooregerety@wlrnnews.org.