ABILENE, Texas -- They called it a survivor party, and the man of honor Wednesday night in Abilene was certainly that: He has lived with a bullet in his brain for 30 years.
The party honoring Jim Saunders came 30 years to the day after he was shot in the forehead on Aug. 24, 1981.
The .25-caliber bullet remains in a delicate position between two optic nerves and between the two halves of his brain. It was left there because doctors considered it too risky to extract.
The bullet carved plenty of damage three inches deep into his brain – beneath the visible scar that remains on his forehead. Saunders is legally blind, has a limited peripheral vision and is unable to drive. He was left with no sense of smell.
He has gone through years of medical problems and has undergone years of rehabilitation in Abilene, Galveston, San Angelo, Fort Worth and Austin.
But he’s alive.
“I have a .25-caliber bullet lodged between the halves of my brain,†he said, “and I survived.â€
The life-changing gunshot was fired by his first wife, Faith Saunders, who shot him as he was lying asleep in bed.
She left him there to die. The fact that he didn’t was itself something of a miracle.
Faith Saunders was arrested and charged with attempted murder. She was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but she was paroled after four years for good behavior.
Jim Saunders doesn’t know where she is now.
His life has moved on, and he said he holds no resentment toward his ex-wife.
He has remarried, and his wife, Kathryn, is a registered nurse.
The party they held Wednesday night was more about celebrating survival and their future than dwelling on the past.
The party honoring Jim Saunders came 30 years to the day after he was shot in the forehead on Aug. 24, 1981.
The .25-caliber bullet remains in a delicate position between two optic nerves and between the two halves of his brain. It was left there because doctors considered it too risky to extract.
The bullet carved plenty of damage three inches deep into his brain – beneath the visible scar that remains on his forehead. Saunders is legally blind, has a limited peripheral vision and is unable to drive. He was left with no sense of smell.
He has gone through years of medical problems and has undergone years of rehabilitation in Abilene, Galveston, San Angelo, Fort Worth and Austin.
But he’s alive.
“I have a .25-caliber bullet lodged between the halves of my brain,†he said, “and I survived.â€
The life-changing gunshot was fired by his first wife, Faith Saunders, who shot him as he was lying asleep in bed.
She left him there to die. The fact that he didn’t was itself something of a miracle.
Faith Saunders was arrested and charged with attempted murder. She was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but she was paroled after four years for good behavior.
Jim Saunders doesn’t know where she is now.
His life has moved on, and he said he holds no resentment toward his ex-wife.
He has remarried, and his wife, Kathryn, is a registered nurse.
The party they held Wednesday night was more about celebrating survival and their future than dwelling on the past.