ABOUT ME

My name is Nolan Thomas Mc Donnell, I am from San Jose, CA, and I was shot in the head.  On April 23, 2017 my car was surrounded by six people when a gunman shot at me through my drivers side window.   When the shooter saw that I was still alive he put the gun against  the left side of my head and pulled the trigger causing the bullet to enter  the left side of my brain and project out the right.  With that being said, from my would be death bed I began sharing my positive perspective on life and I continue to do so on my blog.

NEWS ARTICLES

• KESQ
• NBC
• Desert Sun News

PRIOR TO THE SHOOTING

Before being shot I was an adrenaline fueled free-spirit who was very dedicated to school.  I was almost a straight A student, in honors society, and a tutor at my college.  In my free time I enjoyed thrill seeking, socializing, traveling, working out, experiencing new cultures, and trying new things.  With that said, one summer, while on a road trip to Mexico, I stopped in a town called Indio, CA and felt at home.  When I returned to Northern California I packed up the little belongings that I owned and moved to the desert town with my clothes, a mountain bike, and my computer.  I settled onto my new life quickly by going to music festivals, making huge amount of friends, and learning a lot about life.

DAY OF SHOOTING

I was shot during the second weekend of Coachella of 2017, several blocks away from the festival.  I was shot in an attempted strong armed robbery while I was in my car with two passengers in the back seat.  The shooter came up to my drivers side window and shot twice.  The first shot broke the glass and I think I ducked and dodged the shot because when the district attorney there was a bullet hole in my drivers seat in addition to the enter and exit wound in my skull.  Ironically, during the first concert weekend 50-Cent made a guest appearance and sang, “Many men,” which is a song about people wishing death upon him, and a week later I am on a death bed fighting for my life.

MORE ABOUT ME

I am creative, positive, social.  I look forward to new beginnings in life because new beginnings mean new adventure.  I have been heavily influenced by my siblings, my college professors, and historical figures such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Sun Tzu.  I am an extrovert who enjoys working out, fitness, reading, writing, public speaking, and most of all, making progress.  One interesting fact about me is prior to being shot I trained heavily and consistantly in hopes of completing a triatalon one day.  Besides that, I am an open minded individual who is interested acquiring and sharing knowledge, self-empowerment, and change. 

NEED FOR CHANGE