Jasmine Blackmon (24) of Louisville, KY knows a thing or two about hard work. Previously she worked as a caregiver, and is currently in school learning about medical coding. On top of all of this, she’s also a full-time mother to her three-year-old son, Dexton. “I just really enjoy being a mother. I do that day-to-day, every day.” As if she didn’t already have enough on her plate, Jasmine is also considering pursuing a real estate license. In her free time, when she gets it, Jasmine enjoys “Law and Order,” and “Chicago PD” episodes, or reading.
Around 9:30 in the morning on November 24, 2022 (Thanksgiving Day), Jasmine’s life was changed forever outside of the Oxmoor Apartments. After completing her shift as a caregiver, Jasmine was preparing her things to go home when she noticed a young man in a ski mask. This didn’t initially register as being out of place for Jasmine. “I didn’t think anything of it, most dudes in my community walk around with ski masks, especially since COVID. They just feel comfortable wearing them now, and I didn’t think anything of it. There were plenty of people outside, and nothing felt out of place.” As Jasmine walked past the young man, he looked Jasmine straight in her eyes, at which point, “Things felt a little weird. I tried to move a little faster, but that’s when I heard the gunshots. When I heard them, I smacked the ground really hard.”
As Jasmine tried to evade what she could tell was a developing situation, she was shot multiple times from behind. “I saw one of my teeth fall out; I guess it was because I was shot in my neck and it might’ve gone through, or because I hit the ground as hard as it did.”
After the shots were fired, the young man took off. Bystanders and others in the area began moving around to see what had happened, and in a burst of adrenaline, Jasmine was able to instruct people on how to help until EMS could arrive. “A girl ran outside to help me, she ended up calling the police too. Another dude came out and held my head up - I guess I was already paralyzed at that time. Another man came with his wife, who was a nurse, and they were able to help. I just closed my eyes and focused on breathing. One of my lungs had collapsed.”
The ambulance and emergency teams arrived within 5-10 minutes. Jasmine was able to stay awake throughout her ride, and arrived at the hospital in, “...what felt like 5 minutes…I was just thinking about my son. I was like, ‘I have to get back to him,’ because nobody would be able to take care of him the way I can take care of him. I was like, ‘Please God, I have to get back to him. I’ll do anything you want me to do, but I need to get back to my son.’” From there, the UofL Health team began to assess and address Jasmine’s wounds.
Besides the incredible team at UofL Health, Jasmine credits much of her recovery to her mother, her friends and family, and all those who prayed over her. “God, please, I don’t deserve this. It’s very powerful. I don’t think I would’ve made it without people thinking about me, and praying, and just throwing love to me. You have to have love in the room.”
Jasmine’s injuries were extensive. Because she was shot so closely to her neck and head, her jaw was wired shut for several weeks. “Because I had gotten shot through my neck and out the roof of my mouth or close to my nose, I had my jaw wired shut. I had to write on a little board to communicate.”
In total, Jasmine was shot nine times, seven of which were through-and-through, with two remaining bullets that had to be removed after the fact. Besides the shot through her neck and face, she was shot in her hand, upper left arm, left glute, four to five times in her stomach. Amazingly, no major organs were hit, but Jasmine did have some gut issues that needed to be addressed in addition to the use of a metal rod to support her back. The injuries had temporarily left her paralyzed from the waste down. “I just couldn’t believe my ears, I couldn’t believe I was shot that many times.” The remaining bullets were removed from Jasmine after she had been discharged to Frazier Rehab, about a week before Christmas 2022. One round was protruding from her chest and was easily removed in February 2023, and then in June, the final round lodged near her spine was removed.
Getting the final two bullets removed proved to be a really powerful source of momentum for Jasmine. At that point, she began to feel as though she could truly start her recovery process. “I was already going to therapy and such, but around June I also started going to the gym. I felt like I could move my body around more, instead of feeling uncomfortable moving because I have a bullet in my spine…I felt like myself after that.” Jasmine completed speech, physical, and occupational therapy in relatively short order while at Frazier Rehab. “When I got to Frazier Outpatient care, that’s when the real work started.”
Jasmine began to regain use of her legs around June 2023. While she still had some trouble walking, she was able to get around in limited capacities, as well as exercise at a local gym. “I just tried keeping my body going. I didn’t want to get stiff or stuck in the house, not doing anything. Even if I’m not going to therapy, I need to do something.”
While Jasmine’s physical recovery has progressed, her mental and emotional recovery will still take some time. “It’s still a challenge. I still have a lot of paranoia and PTSD. I feel like I don’t want to be seen, and don’t walk to talk sometimes. It’s been a challenge, but I still keep going and try to focus on other things to keep my mind off of it. That’s part of why I want to start my non-profit, to put my energy into something.”
Jasmine has nothing but good things to say about the UofL Health team. “Every single person I came across through UofL is very passionate about what they do. In the hospital, everybody was so great to me. It felt like home, and they made it feel like home.”
Jasmine is currently researching how to start a non-profit, with the intent of starting one of her own in the months and years to come. She plans to launch an organization to help gun violence survivors have a community space where they can feel supported, learn, and grow together. She has also connected with another gun violence survivor about starting a podcast for people who have gone through a similar experience, the details for which are forthcoming.
“I would just tell anyone in a similar position to keep going, keep their faith, and keep positive thoughts. If you keep feeding your mind positive thoughts, your body will react positively to that.”
Jasmine Blackmon.
Shattered and put back together.
Trauma Survivor.
