Friends and Neighbors, We are reaching out to you with a plea for help! A beautiful family leading a normal and productive life was struck with a tragedy that is incomprehensible. They are now facing a challenge with little hope in sight. The following is a heartfelt statement from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office posted shortly after the event. January 19, 2020 Walton County Sheriff’s Office “Juana Arano will never walk again. It's something the wife and mother of two is still coming to terms with. A senseless and unthinkable shooting on January 10th in DeFuniak Springs left Arano paralyzed from the chest down. Walton County Sheriff's Office is still diving deep into the case, which has left investigators questioning why in the world someone would fire more than a dozen shots at Arano's silver Nissan Altima as she drove down Highway 90. The event still haunts Juana in her sleep. Deputy John Avery was on his way home from work heading west back to Crestview to his wife and kids. His radio was down and his CAD was off. He hadn't heard the shots fired call come over the radio when he spotted Arano's car partially blocking the roadway. He thought it was a simple flat tire. It wasn't until he saw the bullet holes scattered along the driver's side of the vehicle, he knew something was very wrong. Avery called out over the radio and moments later he heard Arano asking for help. Juana was transported by helicopter to Fort Walton Beach and says the only thing that kept her alive was the desire to see her children again. A total of 17 bullet holes struck Arano's vehicle that night. One struck her in the back, severing her spinal cord leaving her unable to feel anything below her sternum. Before that Sunday, she and her husband lived a quiet life in DeFuniak Springs where their family attends a local church, and their two children are enrolled in Walton County schools. Her church family has been a blessing since the incident. But, the Arano's lives will never be the same. She will never walk again. She will never be able to play with her five-year-old daughter again. She will never be able to experience the feeling of grass beneath her feet ever again. For us, this is unacceptable. As a community, we must come together.” _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Several organizations have joined together to help the Arano family, Catholic Charities, Caring and Sharing of South Walton, Hope Clinic and St. Vincent dePaul/St. Rita Conference. These organizations are working to defray short-term living expenses, but the need is so great we are reaching out across our community asking for YOUR help. There is no timeline for Juana’s husband to be able to return to work fulltime. The family has mortgage and automobile payments, growing medical bills, therapy, etc. They are also in need of a handicapped van, as transporting Juana requires multiple people to help get her in and out of the truck. Faced to handle this alone is an impossible challenge, but with your help we can offer this loving family hope. If you are a Church, please consider asking your congregation to support this appeal. If you are an individual or business entity that is moved to help this family, your donation is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED, and tax deductible. Make Checks payable to: Caring and Sharing of South Walton; please designate donations in the “For” (Memo) section to the “Juana Arano Family” and mail to: Caring and Sharing of South Walton 112 Lynn Dr. Santa Rosa Beach, Fl. 32459 You can also donate online at [URL="https://caringandsharingsowal.org"]Caring & Sharing of South Walton[/URL] - click on the ‘Get Involved’ tab, then click the ‘donate’ tab. If donating online, please email [email]carly@caringandsharingsowal.org[/email] that your donation was for the Arano family as they are currently unable to earmark funds from their online portal. Thank you for your consideration,
