“It was hard time served from a wheelchair, the result of a paralyzing gunshot in the back during a violent house party.
And while Rudy Salazar, 39, turned his back on the gang lifestyle, the remnants of that tumultuous time — crude tattoos that cover his face and body, aching memories of a wasted life, unending pain from chronic pressure wounds — never left him.
Now a patient of Sangre de Cristo Hospice, Salazar is making the most of his remaining time by warning youngsters of the grim consequences of poor decisions, especially those related to gang activity.”