There was a major homecoming Tuesday for a San Marcos man who was wounded during the Las Vegas massacre.
Zack Mesker was in a Las Vegas hospital for three weeks, before he was moved to Tri-City hospital in North County for rehab. When he came home, his neighbors greeted him with welcome signs, balloons and hugs.
“I'm walking, I can stand straight up. I can sit in a chair now,” said Mesker.
It has been a long journey home for the Las Vegas shooting survivor.
The bullet shot through his back, went through his colon and left fragments in his leg. He was with his girlfriend, Lauren Kylander, who also survived the shooting and has been by his side ever since.
“We were both split up by then," said Mesker. “It was craziness.”
Mesker managed to call his father to tell him he had been hit. The phone then went dead.
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“I could have chosen my words wiser,” Mesker quipped. “But I got the point across.”
Kyander called Mesker’s mother to tell her what happened.
“Not the phone call anyone should have to get or make,” Kyander said.
They are thankful for the care they received in Las Vegas and for the first responders.
“We were running away and they were running in,” said Mesker. “It was definitely a sight to see, just how brave they were.”
Mesker said the incident has been a life changer.
“We were having a good time, and it just changed that suddenly. You just have to live life and not worry I guess,” said Mesker.
The experience made Kyander feel especially grateful for what she has in her life.
“It has made me more grateful for everything I have in life," added Kyander. "You don't know what can happen, just like that Sunday night. You don't know.”
Mesker’s mother, Lorraine put it this way:
“I think it brought us closer together for sure, and life is precious," said Lorraine.
