Mistake Turned Mission: One Trauma Survivor Finds Purpose in Recovery

Firearms have the power to change lives in an instant. Edward Overstreet carries that truth with him every day. A 52-year-old man from Ridgeway, Missouri, Edward lived a quiet life on a 73-acre farm. One night around 11 p.m., Edward was handling an antique black powder rifle that he planned to sell. Although he thought he had safely removed it from the barrel, a plastic cap packed with 150 grams of powder remained in the rifle. Tired and distracted, Edward looked down the barrel, searching for the electric spark that would ignite the shot. In an instant, Edward’s life was forever changed.

The loud blast of the rifle gave way to silence as Edward put his hand to his face. “Oh no, this isn’t good,” he remembers thinking. The rifle had sent a fireball into Edward’s left eye, burning nerves and destroying tissue. But in those first few moments, Edward felt only shock.

“At first, I didn’t hear or feel anything,” Edward says. “But as the shock wore off, it was like napalm around my eye. I didn’t know what to do. I just knew something was terribly wrong.”

Normally alone, Edward was fortunate to have company present to call 911 that night. After a long ambulance ride, he eventually reached Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City. A designated Level I Trauma, Stroke, and STEMI Center by the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, Saint Luke’s Hospital provides total care for trauma victims, from emergency surgery to rehabilitation.

“It was a long road just to get to Saint Luke’s,” Edward says. “The paramedics took me to hospitals in Bethany and St. Joseph until someone finally said, ‘He needs to be at Saint Luke’s.’”

It wasn’t until he woke up in the ICU that Edward fully realized the extent of his injuries. The shot had split his eye open and burned everything behind it. Although surgeons were unable to save Edward’s eye, an upcoming surgery will rebuild his lower eyelid so that he may be fitted for a prosthetic eye in the future. Edward continues to recover day by day while carrying the physical and emotional burdens of a traumatic injury.

“By God’s grace, I’m making it,” Edward shares. “I have powder residue tattooed in my skin, I struggle with depth perception—but I’m here and I’m blessed.”

Edward credits the team at Saint Luke’s Hospital for providing expert care and helping him feel safe and cared for in a moment of crisis. Cases like Edward’s demand cross-collaboration from a team of trauma surgeons, emergency doctors, imaging technicians, nurses, and more. From the moment he arrived at Saint Luke’s Hospital, Edward had a complete care team behind him.

“There was a peace that came over me when I got to Saint Luke’s,” Edward says. “I’ve never been a fan of doctors or needles. I’m the guy who prefers to sew himself up—but this was something I couldn’t fix myself.”

Now back at home and on the road to recovery, Edward hopes to turn injury into impact. He’s currently training to become a certified firearm safety instructor and teach others about the risks and responsibilities of gun ownership.

“I don’t want anyone to ever make the same mistake I did,” Edward says. “Everything we go through in life, it’s our job to pass on to the younger generation. What I went through was terrible, but I hope it can save someone else’s life one day.”

Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City is one of the region's premier hospitals and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for outstanding patient outcomes. Our network of more than 600 physicians represents more than 60 medical specialties. Saint Luke's Hospital is a Verified Level I Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons.