Painopolis

An ambush in suburbia. Eight shots. And a survivor who refused to be a victim.

On a bitter January morning in 2003, a 19-year-old man named Billy Glenn Jackson drove a stolen rental car along a quiet residential street near Memphis, Tennessee. It was the sort of suburban neighborhood that normally seemed shielded from the crackle of gunfire plaguing other parts of the Memphis area. But Jackson had brought along a target pistol. And on this day, gun violence would be making a house call.

“For most Americans, gun violence amounts to little more than a quick item on the local news. But the victims of that violence don’t have the option of changing the channel.”

Jackson parked at the home of his intended victim: a 44-year-old accountant named Jeff Droke. Raised in Memphis, Droke moonlighted as a professional wrestler. Even in his middle years, Droke—known to local wrestling fans as “The Hammer”—still had the muscle-popping, superhero build of an athlete 20 years younger.

Jackson got out of his car, walked up to Droke’s house, and banged on the front door. Then he banged even louder. Glancing out a window, Droke saw a stranger oddly decked out in a white bubble coat and white pants. Droke felt something wasn’t quite right and slipped out the back door to investigate.

Moments later, he encountered the young man who’d come there to kill him. And on that January morning, Jackson was one trigger squeeze away from completing that task. He pointed a pistol at Droke and shot him eight times in the worst possible places: his head, neck, and chest.

What happened next was a tussle so bloody and surreal that it could have been the opening scene of a Quentin Tarantino movie. You’ll hear all about it in a bit, and I hope you’re sitting down when you do. It’s that intense.

For now, let’s just say that the outcome didn’t go quite the way Jackson had intended. The confrontation ended with the panicked gunman—his white coat stained with Droke’s blood—scrambling into the stolen car and speeding away.

He didn’t stay on the run for long, though. The police soon arrested Jackson and another man named Jason Jerden for the shooting. Droke had never heard of Billy Jackson before, but he was all too familiar with the name Jerden.

Years earlier, Droke had testified against Jerden’s then-wife—a former employee of Droke’s—in a child-custody case. After that, Droke found himself on the receiving end of some serious animosity that would eventually turn lethal. Following his arrest, Jackson told police that Jason Jerden had hired him to kill Droke in retribution for Droke’s testimony in that child-custody case. No charges were ever filed against Jerden’s wife in this matter.

Unfortunately, the danger didn’t end for Droke after his assailant fled the scene. Bleeding massively, Droke managed—just barely—to stay alive long enough to get to an emergency room. He survived that ordeal, too. But he wouldn’t escape chronic pain and other gunshot-related ailments in the years to come. In that regard, he’s got a lot of company.

Each year, nearly 90,000 Americans become the victims of gun crime. Thanks to advances in emergency medicine, more than four out of five of them pull through. That’s the good news, sort of. The bad news is, the advances in emergency medicine haven’t been matched by similar improvements in the treatment of chronic pain.

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As a result, more people than ever are now surviving gunshot wounds. But more people than ever are also struggling with chronic pain caused by those wounds. For most Americans, gun violence amounts to little more than a quick item on the local news. But the victims of that violence don’t have the option of changing the channel. In many cases, their lives are forever marked by longstanding pain, other gunshot-related health complications, and staggering medical bills.

Today, we’ll explore that private struggle by delving more deeply into the story you’ve already heard a snippet of: that of the accountant-wrestler who walked out of his house and into the line of fire.

Joining us is the man at the center of this story: Jeff Droke.

Today, Droke talks about:

•  What exactly happened during that bizarre attack

•  How he got the upper hand on a pistol-wielding attacker

•  How he survived those first crucial hours after getting hit by eight bullets

•  How close he came to dying (short answer: very close)

•  How long it took him to recover from his injuries

•  How he dealt with the pain

But that’s only half the story. In our next episode, “Gunshot Wounds, Part 2: Aftermath of a Shooting,” Droke talks about the sudden upsurge in gunshot-related pain he suffered 11 years after the shooting—and what might have caused it; how he ultimately brought that pain under control; what happened to the culprits involved in the attack; how the local justice system bungled any chance he had of getting the justice he’d hoped for; and why he argues that some of the best help for gunshot survivors comes from other people who’ve been shot.

Interviewee:

Jeff Droke is an accountant, gunshot survivor, and gunshot-survivor advocate.

Resources:

•  Droke created shotmemphis.org to serve as an internet resource for Memphis-area survivors of gun violence.

•  Droke’s website was inspired by shotproject.org, another website that addresses the tragedy of gun violence (caution: it contains graphic images of gunshot injuries).

Straight from the lab:

Medical experts have published more than 10,000 articles on the treatment of gunshot wounds. In a sign of just how common gun violence has become, name any body part that’s ever been hit by a bullet, and you’re likely to find published studies exploring the best treatment options for it.

Explore the show notes for this episode at: https://painopolis.com/gunshot-survivor-chronic-pain/

Music:

Our theme music is “Gentle Storm,” composed and performed by Betsy Tinney (betsytinney.com).

Bonus:

Can’t sleep because of chronic pain? (And wondering if weed might help?) Get our new book, Cannabis Lullaby: A Painsomniac’s Quest for a Good Night’s Sleep. Available in print, ebook, and audiobook, it’s brimming with real-world, evidence-based answers. The author is Painopolis co-host David Sharp, an award-winning health journalist who nipped his pain-fueled insomnia in the bud. Buy a copy today at: painopolis.com/cannabis-lullaby/

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