Route 91 Festival Survivors Return To Vegas To Heal From Tragedy
LAS VEGAS (CBS13) - A Roseville woman who survived the horrific Las Vegas shooting is on a mission to bring healing to other survivors.
Lisa Fine has organized a benefit concert taking place Friday night in Ro cklin through her new charity organization Route 91 Strong. But on Wednesday, her mission was different. She wanted to return to Vegas to face her fears to get some clarity.
"It's definitely putting together missing pieces for me, and I'll never forget this day," said Fine.
Landing in Las Vegas for the first time since the deadly shooting was a heart-pounding moment for Fine and her boyfriend, Dave.
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"I'm emotional because the last time I️ was at this airport, I️ wanted to get out and get safe...this is surreal to me," she said.
Fine is one of the thousands of survivors who lived through the gunfire that rained down on the Route 91 Harvest Festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
"Coming here it does bring it up, but it's important to feel the emotions, just for myself and my best friends who were there with me, we need to fill those gaps of memory that were lost," said Fine.
Now 38 days later, Fine and others who got out alive - including friends Tennile and Greg Greenfield from Los Angeles, who were all sitting front row together watching Jason Andean perform - are trying to retrace their steps and piece together how they managed to escape.
"I️ want to know how we got out. I️ have to know because there are chunks that are just gone. I️ want to know how we lived," said Fine.
Fine -- joined by The Greenfields, her sister, and her best friend from Spokane -- walked around the concert venue where crime tape was still up. They tried to remember the moments leading up to their escape, and which exit route they took.
On their walk, Fine ran into another survivor and her daughter who were doing the same.
"Are you also survivors? Can I️ give you a hug?" says fine. "I'm sorry we're going through this."
The group ended up making their way to the Make-shift Memorials lining the Las Vegas strip
"All these beautiful faces ... just a lot of emotions that go through your mind," said Tennille.
Fifty-eight crosses in honor of the lives lost sit underneath the iconic Vegas sign - a meeting place where dozens of survivors reunited and embraced.
"Just being here with other survivors, we're like a family. And for those who didn't make it, we have to live a big life for them," said Fine.
With newly found friendship and bonds, these brave souls are turning the most horrific day of their lives into a day of healing.
"Just the beauty that comes out of such darkness, this is beautiful light, and we get to rewrite this story, that's important."
The last few weeks have been a struggle for Fine and other survivors who have been undergoing trauma therapy. For Fine, she says that being back allows her to heal, it allows her to live her life outside of fear, and to not allow one evil man take her light away. She hopes her experience will give her the courage to connect with what she went through but to grow from it.
Meanwhile, her charity organization Route 91 strong is dedicated to those who survived, by offering support through medical bills, therapy and possibly even transportation.
The benefit concert she's organizing is Friday. It's a five-act showcase that starts at 7 p.m. For details, visit: http://route91strong.org/.
