Grief continues to grip victims of Walmart shooting on third anniversary of August 3rd

EL PASO, Texas -- Three years after the August 3rd Cielo Vista Walmart shooting, Cecilia Medina still carries the emotional wounds from that day.

She was tidying up her area as a Walmart Associate, doing a job that's brought her joy for more than 25 years, when she heard popping noises.

"The noise. The popping. I said, that's not balloons," said Cecilia. "And then I saw somebody shoot -- I saw him shoot somebody by the door right there. It was like, I freeze."

Four months earlier, Cecilia had survived breast cancer, a diagnosis she received in 2018.

Although she was not physically hurt on August 3rd, she still sees a therapist. She feels robbed by the shooter.

"What he did to me (crying). I'm still here. I don't go out with my husband. It's very rare that I go. I just tell him when I feel so desperate get me out. Just get me out. And it's because I feel the anxiety," said Cecilia.

Her husband, Eddie, gave up the career he loved to be with her.

Cecilia has never stepped a foot back into another Walmart. And just as she felt she was turning a corner, two mass shootings in a matter of 10 days: Buffalo and Uvalde.

"When the shooting happened of the kids (Uvalde), I wasn't me. It was like, I had to call my counselor and go 'I'm going crazy, look at all those kids what happened! And we kept talking for hours. When is all this going to stop? When is all this going to stop?" said Cecilia.

Eddie hopes the two can eventually travel to two bucket-list destinations: The Riverwalk in San Antonio and Pearl Harbor. But Cecilia must first deal with another challenge, doctors recently found two tumors in her body. She's hoping for a good diagnosis.