SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A Suffolk man is fighting for his independence after being shot in a drive-by shooting.
But he needs help, and says there is a special program that could help him walk again.
Cameron Greene had just graduated from college in December 2019 and was ready to start his life when he was shot. From there, his life’s plans changed forever.
“December 19, 2019, I was hanging out with some friends, pulled up in my friend’s driveway, got out my car, went to my trunk to get my things, and came around the corner and people started shooting,” he said.
Greene said that is when he was injured.
“When I got hit, I had lost feeling immediately from the waist down,” he added. “I got hit in my lower left back. That bullet is the one that did the most damage,”
He said it was an L1 and L2 spinal cord injury.
“I was temporarily paralyzed and the doctors told me I would never walk again,” he said.
That diagnosis destroyed him.
“My light had went completely out. I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t even want to eat, that’s how bad it was,” he explained.
But his faith and family helped turn the light back on so he could focus on recovery.
“With prayer, encouragement, family and friends, ’cause it is important to have that support in your corner. You can do anything as long as you set your mind and heart to it,” he said.
For Greene, that means walking down the stairs driving his car again and now heading to a new recovery program in New Hampshire.
“I just got accepted into a place in … New Hampshire. It’s called Project Walk [Boston],” he explained. “They have state-of-the-art equipment to help you get back on your feet where you need to be. They have a 96% success rate and they only take people who they know for a fact have a huge chance at walking again,” he said.
The $2,200 program is out of his price range, but it’s what Greene believes will get him to his final goal.
“My goal is to walk back into Virginia Beach General [hospital] to all three of them doctors and say ‘Hello I’m up and I’m walking again,'” he said.
The family is accepting donations to help pay for his recovery. If you would like to donate click here.
