Orlando Shooting Victims Treated by College of Medicine Grad

By ChaseYavondaC

The evening had been quiet and as the hours shifted from late Saturday night to early Sunday morning on June 12, Weatherford thought she might leave early. Then, the area’s primary trauma center received a call about a shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub, just blocks away.

“It was just immediate disbelief,” said Weatherford. “Then, the victims started coming in and my first thought was ‘what did this?’ I had never seen gunshot wounds like this. There was so much devastation.”

Tory Weatherford UAMS

Tory Weatherford, M.D.

The first wave brought about 20 patients. Across six bays in the trauma room, Weatherford and her fellow staff, including other residents and attending physicians, did everything they could to help.

“There wasn’t time to think, our training just took over,” said Weatherford. “We went down our mental list checking airways, the need for blood or chest tubes, and who needed to be prepped for surgery and who could wait.”

Not long after helping the initial patients, another wave of critically wounded victims flooded in.

“It was easily the most stressful night of my career,” said Weatherford. “Everyone gave everything they had; there was no time to stop. We went where our hands could be helpful, it didn’t matter if it was your traditional role or not.”

The incident left 49 people dead in addition to the shooter and more than 100 injured in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

Reflecting on that night, Weatherford said she’s proud of the work done to save many lives, but thoughts still linger on what could have been done to save more.

“That will haunt you no matter the situation,” she said.

Even with those thoughts, it’s been rewarding for Weatherford to see relationships among hospital staff strengthen and the outpouring of support in the community.

“I have a great amount of respect for everyone I work with and it’s great to see how those bonds between us have grown stronger,” she said. “Seeing that echoed in the community is incredible.”