Chardon High School shooting survivor: Nick Walczak

Josh Walczak was at work on the morning of Feb. 27, 2012 when his phone was overwhelmed with calls and text messages. There had been a shooting at Chardon High School where his 17-year-old brother, Nick, was a student.

"I heard them. I believed them. But I was worried," said Josh. "I didn't know what to think. I saw (Nick) in the hospital. It was the worst day of my life."

Nick Walczak, then-17, was shot twice in the neck, once in the back and once in the arm. One of the bullets pierced his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed. He also lost three friends.

"Knowing the loss of the other families and that my son was saved is the hardest part," Nick’s mother, Holly Walczak, said. "I feel for them every minute of every hour." The teen was pulled to safety by math teacher Joseph Ricci. “I thank him for saving my son's life.”

"Nick likes to play video games, ski and swim," Josh Walczak said. "Our relationship is only going to get a million times stronger after this."

Since the shooting, Nick threw out the first pitch at a Lake County Captains game, where the team donated money to the Nick Walczak Healing Fund. Volunteers also repaved his family’s driveway so Nick could use his wheelchair.

"It's a lot of money, it's a lot of time and all these guys are out here doing this for us. We're very appreciative," said Nick's stepmother, Lindsey Walczak. “Everybody has really shown what they're made of and what really kind, caring, wonderful people we have out there.”