Aiken County mother who was shot in the face speaks about her recovery
An Aiken County mother who was shot in the face by her husband in January is providing updates on her healing journey and has set up a Go Fund Me to help with expenses.
Sammy Gleaton on Jan. 15 said she was accidentally shot by her husband with a revolver in Salley, South Carolina. The bullet went through her face, to her collarbone and out of her arm. Gleaton's four kids witnessed the shooting and her 12-year-old daughter called 911 and got the other children to safety.
Gleaton said she was bleeding out for 24 minutes, waiting for EMS to arrive. She walked herself to the stretcher and was airlifted to the hospital.
After multiple surgeries, she still cannot talk, needing a feeding tube and tracheostomy tube.
In an interview over text with The Augusta Chronicle, Gleaton said recovery is going well and she was recently able to go home.
"I'm home doing everything normal still – cooking and cleaning, being a mom," Gleaton said. "The (tracheostomy) gets challenging some days because I have more mucus some days than others."
She said she is at a standstill, waiting for her doctor to assess how her bone is healing before the biggest surgery.
"It's a surgery that he only has one good shot at doing," she said. "If the bone heals, he will just need to move tissue. If it doesn't heal, he will have to move tissue and bone."
After the surgery, the doctor may have to make some adjustments to make her face look better, she said.
However, Gleaton's main concern right now is financially supporting her children while she is out of work.
She set up a Go Fund Me on Jan. 21 to help pay for expenses.
"The money [from the Go Fund Me] is being used to help care for my four kids," Gleaton said. "I'm out of work until after my next surgery that I don't have a date for yet. I will use the money for my rent, electricity, medical expenses and transportation over the next few months."
So far, she has raised a little over $3,000 of the $6,000 goal.
Husband arrested, charged with attempted murder
Although Sammy Gleaton says the shooting was accidental, her husband, Christopher Maurice Gleaton, 41, of Wagener, was arrested after the shooting.
Christopher Gleaton is charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to jail records. He was not granted bond.
He is also charged with a first time drug offense following the shooting, according to jail records.
Just before 11:30 p.m. on the day of the shooting, eight deputies responded to a home on Sandra Lane in Salley, South Carolina.
Deputies met with Christopher Gleaton, who was in the front yard when they arrived, according to previous reporting. He did not comply with commands to put his arms behind his back and was repeatedly asking deputies to help his wife.
After getting Gleaton into a patrol car, deputies went into the home and found Sammy Gleaton sitting on the couch in the living room with the lower part of her jaw hanging from the left side of her face, according to previous reporting.
Previous report: Aiken County man charged with shooting woman in the face, severely damaging her jaw
Gleaton had a number of prior convictions in Aiken County,according to Clerk of Court records, including:
2001: Non-violent burglary (pleaded guilty), simple larceny (found guilty at trial).
2014: Possession with intent to distribute marijuana within half a mile of a school (case disposed), drug possession (pleaded guilty).
2015: Possession of marijuana (pleaded guilty).
2017: Distributing marijuana near a school (pleaded guilty), drug possession (pleaded guilty), open container of beer (found guilty at trial).
August 2022: Possession with intent to distribute marijuana. (This case has not yet been resolved. Gleaton was out on a $5,000 surety bond granted by Judge Patricia Y. Rushton at the time of the shooting.)
To donate to Sammy Gleaton's Go Fund Me, visit https://tinyurl.com/5n83dnap.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Aiken County mother who was shot in the face creates Go Fund Me
