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Trauma of Pulse attack likely to worsen as anniversary approaches, expert says

ORLANDO, Fla. — In the early hours of June 12, Ricardo Negron faced a life or death decision as gunshots at Pulse nightclub in Orlando momentarily stopped.

He could stay on the floor or make a run to a nearby exit. He decided to run, and survived, but that morning still haunts him.

“The thing that stays is the sound of the gunshots,” Negron said. “That’s the memory that stayed.”

As the anniversary of the attack, which left 49 people dead and dozens injured, Negron expects the memories to intensify.

“It gets a little bit overwhelming, because of all the things that (are) happening, so many events,” he said. “Many people in the club that night will be haunted for a very long time.”

Dr. David Baker Hargrove, president of Two Spirits Health Services, said he’s treated nearly 100 people who were at Pulse the night of the attack.

Negron is not alone in his feelings about the coming anniversary of the attack, Hargrove said.

“Almost everyone at the club was under the age of 35, so we’re talking about people who were starting out with their lives,” he said. “Violence is real, and no matter how desensitized we think we are, it can hit you in the face and you think, ‘Wow, this really hurt a lot of people.’”

Hargrove expects a wave of old, and new, patients as June 12 approaches.

If anyone is struggling in the aftermath of the Pulse attack, the best thing a person can do is talk about it, he said.

“If you’re struggling and you need help, help is here,” Hargrove said.

Nancy Alvarez

Nancy Alvarez, WFTV.com

I joined the Eyewitness News team in May 2010 and am currently co-anchor of Eyewitness News This Morning alongside Jamie Holmes.