EAST LANSING (WWJ) The roommate of one of the survivors of the MSU shooting has started a fundraiser to help with medical costs and to support his family.
John Hao—a 20-year-old international student from China— is one of the five who were critically injured when a gunman opened fire in MSU’s Berkey Hall and the Union on Monday. Three students— Alexandria Verner, Brian Fraser and Arielle Anderson— were killed.
Hao’s roommate and friend, Argent Qian, said the bullet severed Hao’s spinal cord and “critically injured” his lungs, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.
“His parents are mentally crushed and traveled to Michigan to see him without being able to speak English,” Qian wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Qian wrote about his friend: “(John) always goes to home games of Detroit Pistons…he (will) never (be) able to drive to state parks to look at stars like he used to. He dreams of having a career in sports management and traveling the globe.”
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He also called his friend “beloved,” “a passionate sports enthusiast” and a “leader.”
All of the funds will help pay for medical bills, treatment and to support his family, Qian said.
As of 1 p.m. Sunday, the GoFundMe had raised more than $350,000.
In an update posted Saturday, Qian said Hao no longer needed to be intubated and seems “calmer” after learning how much support he received.
“We might not be able to get him back on his feet,” Qian wrote. “But we can let him know that love in this world is beyond physical.”