Vicki Gardner survived a tragedy that shook her to the core. Ten years ago, journalists Alison Parker and Adam Ward were fatally shot during a live broadcast near Smith Mountain Lake. Gardner was being interviewed that day when the shooting occurred. She was seriously wounded and faced years of painful surgeries, lengthy legal battles, and deep emotional scars.
“Something like this would shake you to the core,” Gardner said. “Some of it was very gruesome and my injuries were horrific just horrific, so I’m glad that part’s over.”
Now, Gardner is sharing her story with the release of her new book, Survival Has Consequences: Shot and Left to Die: A Survivor’s Story.
“The book itself is you can’t change what happened, you can’t go back to yesterday, you just have to figure a way of living with it,” Gardner said. “For me it was so life-altering, there were just so many parts of me that were destroyed during it. I was very fortunate to survive.”
She described the book’s style as conversational, written “like you and me sitting here talking.” Gardner’s intention was for readers to feel like they are walking through the experience together with her.
The book takes readers from that horrifying day through Gardner’s long road to recovery and highlights the incredible support she received from the Smith Mountain Lake community.
“It’s brought me closer to the community, the community was incredible,” she said.
Gardner hopes her story, woven with humor and some graphic chapters, will inspire others facing trauma.
“I want people to say, ‘Boy, that must’ve been bad, then maybe I can get through this too,’” she said. “Maybe I can use her formula of painting and writing and doing everything positive.”
The book is intended for people who have experienced trauma or know someone who has.
“A lot of people came to tell me their story and that felt good that they think I could help them,” Gardner said.
The 256-page book took Gardner four years to write. She poured her heart into it, even painting the cover herself.
To purchase the book and hear more about her story, you can use the link to the book here. You can also see the first five pages of chapter one below: