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Wellington sisters honored by Palm Beach County Commission for brave acts in Vegas shooting

Posted at 3:38 PM, Nov 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-07 19:09:01-05

The Palm Beach County Commission has recognized two Wellington sisters who survived the Las Vegas shooting massacre last month.

Vice-Mayor Melissa McKinlay said the Farina sisters displayed tremendous courage during the siege. 

"It's not that often that those that were impacted ended up being one of the unsung heroes in such a tragedy," said Commissioner McKinlay.

The sound of bullets falling all around her is still engrained in Lulu Farina's mind.

"Even still to this day, it doesn't feel like it's real," said Farina. 

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Lulu and her sister Lauren remember singing and dancing at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. Then, gunfire broke out. Lulu started to drag her sister Lauren, who she had dumped out of her wheelchair to take cover. When she noticed a break in the rapid gunfire, she picked her up and started to run.

That night, the Farina sisters say they had guardian angels. Two men saw Lulu struggling and picked up Lauren to help them escape. Then, a Marine veteran loading victims in a truck took them to the hospital.

"Truckload after truckload of people were coming in, the hospital floor looked like a triage. They were doing spot-on IVs and they were just handing me tourniquets, just help people, if anybody is bleeding help them, you know. We had people seizing, there were so many different things going on," said Farina.

Lauren is still recovering from a knee injury that worsened during the shooting. She could not attend the presentation at the Palm Beach County Commission meeting. Lulu accepted the award and shared a heartfelt message.

"What I saw that night, the unity of the people that came together and really helped each other was so very American and really a sight to see. It was incredible. I really want to get the message out there that I really don’t feel like anyone passed away alone or that anybody that was hurt was by themselves," said Farina. 

This weekend the Farina sisters are returning to Las Vegas before crosses put up at the memorial site are dismantled. With two recent U.S. tragedies following the shooting; the New York terror attack and the worst church shooting in American history in Texas, Lulu said her perspective on life has changed.

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"Your life can be taken from you in an instant and literally in a blink of an eye it can be gone, just like it was that day," said Farina. "We're so blessed that we have a second chance. It really puts things in perspective that way, that you have this great life to live and you only have one."