Shooting victim trying to get back to normal life

Several Wellton students endured the heat Saturday to help out a beloved bus driver. Antelope Union High School students spent the day washing cars to raise money for Linda Clatone, the sole survivor of the June 2 shooting rampage in Yuma and Wellton that left five people dead before the gunman took his own life.

“I think it's wonderful. I always told people we had good kids in the school,” Clatone said as she sat in the shade at Fisher Dodge in Yuma, waiting for the students to wash her truck.

AUHS senior Fatima Alvarez, 17, said she supported the benefit for Clatone because “she always helps us out. When we have to go out of town on the weekends, she takes time out of her schedule to help us. So why not take time out of our weekend to help her?”

Maggi Schneider, also 17 and a senior at AUHS, agreed. “She's a nice person and without her I wouldn't get around. She always drives us to games, she's always there for us, so we want to help pay her hospital bills.”

Since coming home after a month-long stay at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Clatone said she's encountered similar acts of kindness both in Yuma and Wellton.

Clatone, 52, noted people seem to recognize her and wish her well everywhere she goes. Many people express amazement that she survived being shot seven times at close range. She agrees that it's miraculous.

“God and my mom were there helping me,” she said.

When Clatone opened the door to her Wellton home that early morning, Carey Hal Dyess, the 73-year-old presumed gunman, opened fire, hitting her around the face, neck and chest area. Clatone fell down within reach of her work cell phone, the only phone in the house. She called her “neighbors and good friends,” George and Kitty Desch.

“I was pretty lucky there,” she said.

Clatone also believes she was “lucky” that none of the bullets nicked her carotid artery, although they came close to it and her heart.

“Everything barely missed,” she noted. “Every day I thank God and my mom.”

Her recovery has been so quick that even doctors and hospital staff have expressed amazement, she said.

“I feel pretty good. I have a few problems. I have this droop,” she said, pointing to the left side of her face where two small scars give evidence of being shot. “But my speech therapist thinks this can be fixed.”

A vocal cord is still paralyzed, giving her a soft, raspy voice. She still has numbness in her left arm and right hand where she sustained a defensive wound while trying to ward off a bullet.

“Look, it's coming back, I can make a fist now,” Clatone said, closing and opening her hand.

The bullets and subsequent surgeries altered her mouth, so she'll soon be getting dental work.

Emotionally, she hasn't had time to think about the shocking events of that day or even grieve her mother's death, which occurred just a few days before the shooting. However, she's making arrangements for counseling soon.

Clatone also expressed sorrow for the slain victims, including her best friend and the gunman's ex-wife, Theresa Sigurdson, 61.

“I'm sorry for the victims and their families,” Clatone said. “I talked to Theresa's daughter for an hour and it was a nice visit.”

Otherwise, she's happy to be home with her two dogs. “I don't feel bad being home although that's where it happened,” she said. “I still get flashbacks, but I worked hard to get my house paid off by my 50th birthday. There are more good memories than bad memories.”

Since getting home July 3, Clatone has focused on recuperating and getting back to a normal life, such as grocery shopping and spending time with her sisters and their kids.

“I'm just kicking it at home and trying to get better. It will take at least a year to get back to where I was, although I'll never be the same.”

She's hoping to go back to work in the fall. “That's what I'm aiming for, but I have to wait and see.”

Her community has not only welcomed back her with open arms, she's also received help from several sources.

“I want to thank the kids for doing this for me. I recognize some of the faces,” Clatone said, looking around.

Tabitha Grissom, parent of an AUHS student, said that several people stopped by to donate money without getting a car wash. Nevertheless, they had a pretty steady stream of cars.

The first customer, a local rancher and a friend, donated $150 for Clatone and ice and drinking water for the students. AUHS teacher Melody Peet also donated ice, buckets and towels.

Pizza Hut gave them lunch, and photographer Jennifer Blackwell donated four $25 gift certificates for a raffle.

Other people have helped and offered support as well, Clatone said, adding that she received numerous cards and letters in the hospital that cheered and encouraged her.

She also thanked the staff at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.