This Woman Survived a Shot to the Heart in Las Vegas Thanks to Her Firefighter Boyfriend

What 29-year-old Christina Kitcat thought were fireworks at the Route 91 Harvest country festival was actually gunfire. As the crowd began to flee, she collapsed into her boyfriend's arms, saying, "It's hard for me to breathe," according to The Daily Beast. A bullet had shot through her arm and into her heart and lungs, an injury she miraculously survived thanks to the quick actions of her firefighter and EMT boyfriend, Kelly Culbertson.

What was supposed to be a fun birthday gift to the almost-30-year-old turned out to be the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. Christina, who was one of over 500 injured after Stephen Craig Paddock opened fire on the Las Vegas Village, was set on the ground by Kelly to assess her injury. He also initially thought he was hearing fireworks until realizing his girlfriend had been hit. He and two other firefighters they'd just met carried Christina to the merchandise tent and helped put pressure on her wound before wheeling her off in a beer cart and into a vehicle transporting other victims to Desert Springs Hospital.

Thankfully, doctors were able to remove the bullet successfully during Christina's open-heart surgery on Monday. Though it had left holes in both her heart and lungs, she is now in stable condition. A GoFundMe page has been created to help pay for hospital bills and support her recovery. According to the latest update on her fundraising page, Christina went in for her second surgery on Oct. 5 and doctors are focusing on repairing her arm.