Do you believe in miracles? Fort Worth Police Officer Matt Pearce does. With seven bullet wounds puncturing his body, including a collapsed lung, a punctured diaphragm, a shattered right femur, a broken jaw, damage to his liver and spleen, and a nicked heart, Matt Pearce was given a four percent chance of survival. Today, he is back on duty. Less than a year after facing down that gunman, Pearce is on light duty with the tactical medical unit. He attends physical therapy three times a week and plans to be back on full-time duty in 2017.
According to the Star-Telegram, as “a former firefighter medic in the state of Washington, Pearce said he knew as he lay bleeding that he was hurt critically. He refused to even consider that he might be dying.”
“That’s the one thing that scares the crap out of me — not being around for my kids,” said Pearce. “I think that’s the reason I fought so hard. I remember laying in that field and telling myself, ‘I will not die. I refuse to die. I want to see my kids.’ Family was the first thing that came to mind.”