Brett Parks didn’t expect to face death when he went to meet a client for his personal training business. But when he heard someone yell for help, he ran to stop a robbery and got shot in the process. The bullet destroyed several inches of his inferior vena cava, the largest vein in the body, which is critical to bring blood to the heart.
He was rushed to the UF Health Jacksonville Trauma Center, where he would lose more than double the average person’s blood volume in the hours that followed. He later lost a kidney, part of his colon and part of his leg. But against all the odds, he survived and became known as the “Miracle Man.”
Brett, his doctors and his family share his story in this video that made its debut at the 2014 A Night for Heroes gala. The fundraising event honored the many heroes it took to save Brett’s life and highlighted the important work TraumaOne does every day.