When a lone gunman, 32-stories high with automatic weapons, opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas early Monday morning, 2008 Arundel High graduate Tina Frost of Crofton was among those caught in the melee. Sadly, she is also one of the more than 500 people wounded in America’s deadliest modern-day mass shooting. Fifty-nine people were killed.
Frost, who attended the concert with her boyfriend, was taken to a Las Vegas hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to her face that caused her to lose her right eye. The 27-year-old is still in critically stable condition and is expected to remain in a coma for about a week.
“Keep the prayers coming, we have faith that good things will come,” said her father, Rich Frost, on Facebook on Tuesday. “They keep warning us on that brains are unpredictable and this is more of a marathon than a sprint. Tina is a great runner and very strong.”
Tina, a former star athlete at Arundel High, moved to California several years ago and currently works as an accountant for Ernst & Young. She drove down from San Diego with her boyfriend—who was not hurt in the attack—to attend the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas last weekend.
Since Monday, vigils have been held across Maryland to show support for Tina and her family. The Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation in Baltimore City held a vigil on Tuesday evening for the victims of gun violence. On Wednesday evening, a coalition of groups gathered in Annapolis to light candles in remembrance of the victims of Las Vegas.
A family friend, Pam Ostiguy Clark, also created a GoFundMe page to help the family with medical and travel expenses. In an outpouring of support, the campaign has raised more than $360,000 in just four days.
“It’s such a blessing to see a community come together to help,” Clark said on the GoFundMe page. “Please continue to share as this is going to be a very long road to recovery and all the support will help.”
After receiving the news about Tina’s injuries, her parents traveled to Las Vegas on Monday and have been providing daily updates via Facebook on her condition to the thousands of people who have reached out to show support.
“Tina’s third night in ICU has been her best,” Rich Frost posted Thursday. “Small, but critical steps, in her marathon. Thanks for everyone’s tremendous support.”