Aurora Shooting Survivor Stands Strong

One year after the Aurora movie theater shooting, Marcus Weaver says he's still recovering emotionally and physically, but he's moving forward.

Weaver was shot in the arm and his friend Rebecca Wingo was killed that day, but he's relying on his faith and his relationships with family members and other victims to heal and keep the emotional trauma at bay.

On nightmares and PTSD

"I think the most consistent thing that’s happened is the nightmares still continue. Meaning, I wake up at about 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, but as the months have gone on I have a routine ... so I’m not challenged by any of the thoughts or the feelings  associated with the nightmares that stem from the theater."

On remembering and blocking out

"I think the most vivid thing that I can express to you is the gunshots and the chaos, those things are the things that keep reoccurring in my head so that when I wake up ... I can block out as much as my mind will let me. It’s a reality that I was a part of one of the largest mass shootings in U.S. history and I still live in that same city and am reminded of it each day as I talk to friends, family, even strangers ... it’s a constant reminder and you really can't move away from it, so you either have to embrace it or suffer from it and I choose not to suffer from it. "

On returning to the theater at its reopening

"After much up and down wresting with it all, it was clear that I should go. It was the last time I saw my friend Rebecca so therefore it gave me closure . But it was a really hard decision but I did go. Going through it really strengthened my mind knowing that we're moving forward. It was  kind of like a benchmark — just like July 20 is — of where I was, and I was really empowered by going."