Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Shooting survivor throws first pitch
ROGERS — Matt Mika can retrace his steps on a baseball field and remember the moment a bullet pierced his body.
The Republican congressional team was at a final practice before the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Mika, director of government relations for Tyson Foods in Washington, was a coach, standing behind first base. Then the chaos. Mika was one of five people injured June 14, 2017, when a gunman opened fire at a field in Alexandria, Va. He remembers the heat in his chest when the first bullet hit, missing his heart by less than
an inch.
He remembers the second bullet entering his left arm.
Miracles kept him alive that day, he said.
Mika threw the first pitch of Tyson Foods’ annual softball tournament in Rogers on Friday, marking a victory in his recovery, he said.
“I’m just lucky to be alive by the grace of God,” Mika said. “It’s really a sign of ‘I’m back.’ I’m not sitting at home worrying about myself. I’m out here playing.”
He spent 10 days in the hospital following the shooting and underwent five surgeries and other procedures.
Derek Burleson, Tyson’s public relations manager, has worked with Mika for about five years and knows him as an energetic, hard-working friend. Mika has participated in the Tyson softball tournament for six years, and his colleagues wanted to have him back last year, but knew it was physically impossible.
Having him back to toss that pitch this year represented a full-circle journey, Burleson said.
“He’s back doing what he loves with his fellow Tyson teammates, so, to me, this is a big moment in his recovery,” Burleson said.
As a former college athlete, taking a break from athletic events to recover frustrated him, Mika said. He used to run 10 miles before the shooting, but a walk or jog tired him in the months afterward.
“I have to remind myself I can’t do as much as I used to,” he said.
He returned to work part time in September and started full time in January. He played softball and baseball and other sports this spring.
“I’m just trying to get back to a new normal. If I can’t play sports, I’m not happy. I don’t really like to stay still,” he said.
Mika has connected with survivors from shootings at Virginia Tech and Las Vegas and appreciates the community supporting him, he said. He considers himself a survivor, not a victim or hero, because his heroes are those who protected him and helped him recover.
“Those officers and those people who put me back together — they’re the ones I’m always going to remember,” he said.
Mika commends the officers, particularly Capitol Police Special Agent David Bailey and Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner, who prevented additional injuries or deaths. The shooting lasted for about six minutes, but to Mika it lasted an hour.
James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Ill., had posted criticism of the Trump administration and Republicans online before he shot Mika in the chest and arm. Others injured included Bailey, Griner, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, and House GOP aide Zack Barth. Hodgkinson died in a shootout with police.
Mika returned to the field in Alexandria about a month after the shooting with fellow coaches. They spent about two hours talking and reliving the incident, he said.
“For me, that was the best therapy because I knew my guys were safe and they knew I was safe,” he said.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Rogers, said Mika displayed courage, an inspiring attitude and determination amid the tragedy.
“I’m grateful that his recovery has progressed so well and excited that he’ll be in Arkansas to be honored by his Tyson family,” Boozman said.
Considering Mika’s condition a year ago, Doug Ramsey, Tyson Foods’ president of poultry, thinks it impressive how far he’s come.
“He is really an inspiration to us all,” Ramsey said.
The near-death experience has become a talking point for Mika to remind people to “be in the moment,” he said. He has spoken to various groups since the shooting, many of them athletes.
“You never know when you’re going to get that next inning or that next pitch,” he said.
Mika has coached the Republican congressional team for about 10 years. The bipartisan charity event dates back more than a century. He coached the team at last month’s game and plans to continue as long as he can, he said.
“It didn’t matter who won or lost,” he said. “The fact that Steve (Scalise) was out there and all five of us were back was amazing. It’s a miracle.”
Mika has connected with survivors from shootings at Virginia Tech and Las Vegas and appreciates the community supporting him, he said. He considers himself a survivor, not a victim or hero, because his heroes are those who protected him and helped him recover.