Shraman Mitra
Paramount+’s ’11 Minutes’ is a heartwrenching docu-series that chronicles the tragic shooting incident on October 1, 2017, at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the shooter, Stephen Paddock, emptied magazine after magazine into the crowd from a nearby hotel room window, thousands of people tried to escape the kill zone, resulting in a stampede. That, coupled with the continuous shooting, claimed several lives and injured even more, as the survivors and authorities risked everything to get their fellow citizens out of the line of fire.
For cancer survivor Natalie Grumet, the night of October 1, 2017, was supposed to be enjoyable. Sadly, the pleasure turned into a nightmare as she experienced people getting shot around her. Furthermore, she was shot in the face and had to crawl her way out of the killing zone while safeguarding her injured face. If you are interested to find out about Natalie’s ordeal and where she is at present, we have you covered.
Who Is Natalie Grumet?
A Dana Point, California resident, Natalie Grumet is a cancer survivor who is quite popular in her community. Apart from helping out at local events and welcoming everyone with a smile, she is known as a kind and down-to-earth woman who is in love with life and always ready to assist others in need. Moreover, people who know Natalie mentioned that she is pretty amicable, which helps her make friends wherever she goes. Besides, she has a beautiful marriage with her husband, Jason, who was also on the scene at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest music festival with her.
Natalie shared that on October 1, 2017, she was looking forward to a night of entertainment and was enjoying Jason Aldean’s set when she heard a popping sound that sounded vaguely like a firework. Although none of the concertgoers initially paid much heed to the sound, the atmosphere quickly turned to one of horror once the people started noticing others get shot around them. Unfortunately, Natalie did not have time to react as she soon felt a flash of hot metal piercing her face from the side and realized that she had been shot.
The Dana Point resident immediately ducked down behind the chairs, and a kind stranger offered her a tank top to hold to her face. When describing her wound later, Natalie mentioned that although she felt no pain that instant, it seemed as if her face had been blown into a thousand pieces, which she could feel inside her mouth. On top of that, as she escaped the carnage, she discovered that bits of shrapnel had also gotten into her hand.
Despite getting separated from her husband, Natalie somehow made her way to an ambulance, where another man, who was shot in the leg, calmed her down as paramedics worked on her face. However, since the wound was too severe, she was immediately shifted to Las Vegas’ Sunrise Hospital, where doctors reset her jaw through surgery. Besides, they performed a tracheotomy since Natalie could not eat normally for quite some time. When Jason reached the hospital, she could not communicate, but he soon transferred her to a hospital near their home in Orange County.
Natalie Grumet is Moving Ahead in Life With Determination
Since getting shot in the face, Natalie has gone through several operations and had to spend several months with her jaw wired shut. In fact, she mentioned that she had to spend Thanksgiving with a wired jaw, and her husband mashed up turkey in the blender to feed her. Furthermore, being around a lot of food made Natalie nauseous, and her head hurt constantly.
Additionally, the cancer survivor mentioned that the mental pressure was much more significant than the physical pain, as it was impossible to get rid of the nightmares and breakdowns that haunted her in the months following the ordeal. Nevertheless, she gradually fought the demons of the past, started getting out of her house, and recovered with the help of her family and friends. Presently, Natalie resides in Dana Point, California, with her husband, Jason, and works as an ultrasound technician.
While Natalie still has fragments of the bullet and bones inside her mouth, they remind her of what she went through on that fateful night. Readers would be delighted to know that the terrible incident wasn’t enough to take her away from music, as she still attends concerts and events. On top of that, Natalie is an advocate for social causes and often donates generously to fundraisers. Her courage and determination to recover surely inspire hundreds worldwide, and we wish her all the happiness in the coming years.
