Pulse shooting survivor Tiara Parker talks about Las Vegas shooting

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Tiara Parker was shocked when she woke up and heard about the tragedy in Las Vegas.

"This event is very similar to what we experienced and it's painful to watch all of these people have to go through the same thing again," she told FOX 29.

On a day that so many are looking for answers about how to proceed following tragedy there are really only a few who can personally share experiences that can help us try to understand and Tiara is one of them.

"The stuff that I saw that night, the hundreds of bodies that were there and people getting shot and the blood that I was laying in. I think about my cousin who was killed last year," she said.

It has been just over a year since Tiara Parker was shot twice during the Pulse Nightclub attack in Orlando. I asked her to speak to me, not to revisit Orlando, but to hear if the immediate focus we all have on improving society after tragic events actually lasts.

"Once it all happens I would say the first one or two weeks and after a while it kind of dies down. The sad reality is that this is happening now and in the news but later on it's going to be forgotten about."

Tiara has spoken to survivor groups and still maintains contact with others shot in Orlando but hopes that we can all understand that the people impacted by attacks like in Vegas are going to need more support than we can imagine.

"You don't just get over it, it doesn't just go away. These people mentally still have to deal with this. This is a mental emotional thing, on top of being physically hurt."

She remembers hearing the talk of unity and how tragedy makes us overlook our differences and try to find solutions we can agree on but Vegas was another tragic reminder that it didn't last.

"Continue to try to help as much as you can but don't just let it go. And that goes for the media as well don't just let it go. This is still an issue."

Our conversation ended with a plea to all of us that Tiara understands all too well. A hope that this time we get involved trying to make things better and stay involved.

"I just hope that everybody can understand what that means to a person who goes through something like this. Sticking around, you wanna help? Really help them and stay actively involved."