KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Humberto Gonzalez experienced some of the most painful moments of his life within a matter of hours.
On May 30, he was about 10 feet from Kansas City police officers at a protest against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, when what he presumes was a tear gas canister slammed into his leg. He felt pressure on the right side of his calf and wasn't sure how he ended up on the ground. His leg was "flopping" when he tried to stand.
As several protesters helped him to the hospital, Gonzalez worked to stabilize his leg. Others fumbled with a T-shirt and gauze to create a makeshift tourniquet and stop the bleeding below his knee. Rolling his jeans to treat the wounds revealed his tibia had broken through his skin, and he was bleeding profusely.
A week later, four screws and a rod hold his lower leg together. He'll spend at least 16 weeks in recovery at a bottom-floor bedroom in his friends' home and doesn't know what the future could hold.
Gonzalez, 36, left his last job as an event coordinator at the University of Missouri-Kansas City at the end of March. He served in the Marines from 2002 to 2008 and hasn't been insured outside of the VA since then.
When protesters first tried to carry him to the hospital, Gonzalez said he insisted on going to the Kansas City VA Medical Center where his insurance would be accepted, but he was transferred to the University of Kansas Hospital because of the severity of his injuries.
It's unclear what his medical bills could total so far, and in the meantime he'll be checking in with doctors and hoping the wounds aren't infected because of the way they were treated at the protest. Now, he's navigating an already challenging job search environment while being essentially bed ridden and unable to work at in-person service-related jobs.
"Who knows how long that's going to affect my employment status," he said.
While Gonzalez was in the hospital, his friend Eddie Gartland created a GoFundMe that has raised $23,750 as of Tuesday morning to help pay for medical bills from his operation, three nights in the hospital and ongoing check-ups. UMKC student organizations and faculty have spread the fundraiser through social media, and Gonzalez said friends, family and acquaintances have reached out to offer meals, rides to appointments or time to talk.
Gonzalez said people he didn't know well and strangers from across the country have donated to help him cover his expenses for the coming months. He's been writing down names to start sending thank-you notes soon.
