Chris Mintz GoFundMe: Let’s Make Roseburg Hero A Millionaire

The Chris Mintz GoFundMe page set up in honor of the Roseburg hero, who charged at a shooter on Thursday and was shot seven times trying to save the lives of others, is seeking $10,000 for medical expenses.

Over 970 people have already contributed more than $33,000 in two hours.

That isn’t nearly enough.

There have been 141 school shootings since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre of 2012. One hundred thirty-four of those have resulted in a death of one or more person, according to Everytown.

The world is a horrible place filled with deranged people, and all too often the warning signs go unnoticed. It makes you want to lock yourself away inside of an apartment or home and say, “The h*** with everyone else, I’ll just take care of me and my family.”

Mintz has a family, and that wasn’t how he thought about the situation at all. He started the day wishing his young son, Tyrik, a happy birthday. As he lay wounded on the floor, this was the sole thought in his head.

“It’s my son’s birthday, it’s my son’s birthday,” he said, according to surviving witnesses.

On what should have been Tyrik’s happiest day, he found himself faced with having to say goodbye to his dad.

But his dad’s a fighter, and that’s something you’ll realize quickly if you visit the Chris Mintz GoFundMe page set up by cousin Derek Bourgeois.

The initial report from the Daily Beast counted five bullet wounds in this student, veteran, and family man.

They missed two.

On the page itself, you can see Mintz lying in his hospital bed, weakly managing a smile for the camera. In subsequent reports, his only concern has been for the other victims.

One heartbreaking quote from ABC News sums up what kind of guy he is.

“I just hope that everyone else is OK. I’m just worried about everyone else.”

The Oregon gunman, who will not be named in this piece because he doesn’t need nor deserve the notoriety, killed 10 and injured seven, Chris included.

More of his harrowing experience as shared by Bourgeois on the Chris Mintz GoFundMe can be found here.

“During the shooting both of his legs were broken and he is going to have to go through a ton of physical therapy.

“While Chris is not the type of person to ask for it, he is going to need all of the help he can get while he recovers!

“Myself and many family members have been swamped with requests for us to setup a gofundme page, so this is us fulfilling that request and we appreciate your concerns and assistance.”

As a country, we can disagree on whether this is a gun issue or a mental health issue. We can quietly pray for and donate to the victims, or we can stand up and try to politicize the issue.

President Obama even believes it’s an issue that needs to be politicized, according to comments he made yesterday shortly following the attack, the Hill reports.

Agree, disagree, or agree to disagree. But on this one point, most Americans should find common ground. Chris Mintz deserves every bit of financial support we can give him.

He deserves it because he sacrificed himself for the good of others. He deserves it because he was injured in ways mentally and physically that are likely to follow him around the rest of his life as a result of this incident. He deserves it because he reminds us all not to be afraid in the face of evil, but to confront it head-on. He deserves it because he has reminded us, at a critical time in our history, that it’s still possible to favor life and honor and respect and dignity over whatever it is that divides us.

If you would like to give to the Chris Mintz GoFundMe, click the link at the top of this article.

[Images via Chris Mintz GoFundMe page]