“In
February 2009, I felt as if life as I know it was over for me”. “In the
beginning of 2009, I felt as if I had it all. I was the Southern University
Human Juke band drum major, a member of KK PSI, the national band fraternity,
an outstanding student, and a father of a baby girl. Whether you were a
student, alumni, or fan of the university, everyone knew who Fitzgerald Batiste
was.”
It
was a Tuesday night and Batiste worked as a security guard for the Mbar Club.
As the night went on, an argument started between two guys, which quickly
turned into a physical altercation involving glass bottles. Batiste noticed the
two guys causing a scene in the club and he went over to break it up. Batiste
got in between them in attempt to break it up, but one of the guys was
persistent to finish what he had started. The guy then turned his anger to
Batiste and started pushing him. Batiste and the guy exchange a few heated
words and Batiste put him out the club. As Batiste was turning around to go
back into the club, the guy yelled out “you’re a dead man walking!”
It’s
now 2:00 A.M., everything had calmed down, the club is closing up and Batiste
is off work. To regain energy after a long night, he drove to IHOP to get
something eat. As he pulled up, one of his co workers he met up with got into
the car with him and noticed the same guy who was put out at the club was at
IHOP coming towards the back of Batiste’s car. His co-worker warned Batiste of
the guy coming his way and asks him where his gun was. Batiste looked back and
saw the guy trying to put a towel over his face to hide himself and reaching
for his pants. Fitz picked his gun up, said a prayer and got out of the car.
Shots
were fired. Batiste was dodging bullets and he felt he had a chance to stand
up. As soon as he did, he felt a shock go down his back and next thing he knew
he was on the ground chest down. He recalled chaos all around him, people
screaming and crying and it being very cold.
He turned his head and seen one of his co workers and he calmly said
“Just call 911. Get me to an ambulance. Please get me off the ground, its cold
out here.” The ambulance arrived and
Batiste described his way to the hospital as one of the worst rides of his
life. He recalled being in on a stretcher in the back of the ESM truck and the
tires pounding against the road.. Batiste felt like that’s when he thought he
was dying and when it was most painful.
At
the hospital, Batiste learned that that the bullet went through his left
shoulder, ran across his back in a v-shape and came out the right shoulder.
This shattered his vertebrate and damaged his bone fragments, which paralyzed
him. As he laid in the hospital bed, he
thought to himself, “I might be wheelchair for a long time. This isn’t going to
be like, they are going to fix me and everything is going to be alright the
next day.” He noticed everybody was feeling sorry for him and was trying to
read his expression, but he was just taking that in calmly. Batiste said “being
drum major, being a leader, motivating people, and hearing stories of other
people who go through troubles and fold up to not move on, encouraged me to
push on. I feel if I had folded up and didn’t move on, i would be a hypocrite.
I was always the one telling others to keep their head up and keep pushing and
now that I’m paralyzed, I can really be an example of what I had preached.”
Batiste
had a very strong support based, from family, friends and the Baton Rouge
community. In the fall of 2009, Batiste went back to school and spent 3 weeks
in New Orleans where he did rehab. While in rehab, Batiste was introduced and
grew interested in the Therapeutic Recreation field. The spring of 2013, everything
was starting to be in Batiste’s favor. Thanks to rehab and the motivation he
was receiving, Batiste had transitioned into being permanently paralyzed to
temporary. “I cried at the thought of being able to walk and run again, but
most of all doing all of the physical activities with my daughter that I can’t
right now said Batiste” Batiste started doing well in school and prior to becoming
a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, a blessing came through.
Batiste received a $22,000 check to help pay for whatever he needed or
wanted.
On
May 17, 2013, Batiste graduated from Southern University with a Bachelor’s
degree in Therapeutic Recreation. Today, Batiste is planning to get back into
school at Southern University to earn his Master’s degree in behavioral studies
and is working at the Boys and Girls Club. Batiste finished off his interview
with me with one final quote he repeats to himself every day, “This wheelchair
will not hold me back”. 
