Las Vegas Shooting: 'I Will Find You, Mom' Facebook Search Shared Over 17,000 Times

BANNING, CA — She should have been there, and would have remained with her mother at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on the night of the shooting, had it not been for a midterm test.

Taylor Hill, a 23-year-old resident of Banning, flew home at 6:30 p.m. Sunday after a full weekend at the country music concert. She needed to study for an upcoming exam. Her mother, Diane Hill, and a group of friends remained behind to see country singer Jason Aldean perform at the show.

At 11 p.m. Taylor's phone chimed with one, two, twenty texts asking after her safety. Was she still in Las Vegas? Was she okay?

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That was how she learned the concert she’d been at, and had planned for months to attend with her mother and friends, was the scene of a massacre.

“I texted my mom immediately, but I knew that she wasn’t going to answer,” Taylor said in interview. “I just knew.”

Friends of her mother had escaped after seeing Diane get shot and carried away to safety by unknown men. No one knew where she was, or if she was alive or dead.

Taylor thought only of returning to Las Vegas, finding her mother and bringing her home. Before leaving on the hours-long journey, made even longer by the police closure of the I-15 Freeway, she posted on Facebook a simple plea and a picture of the two of them from the concert weekend.

My mom was shot. No idea where on the body. 2-3 men grabbed her and helped her away from the open fire. THESE MEN HAVE MY UNDYING GRATITUDE!
The group was separated from her during this and no one has heard from her since.
My aunts and I have not slept since we heard right when it happened.
We have called EVERY SINGLE number you can think of, hospitals, police, loved ones line, but with 500+ rushed to hospitals and most without IDs the most you can do is put their name on a list in the hopes they can identify. So the numbers are not useful just yet because everyone is working tirelessly to heal the wounded..
I'm at a loss of words. I'm angry, scared, feeling immeasurable grief and guilt that I should've been there to protect her. God I love you Mom
I am heading back to Vegas now, not alone, and not sure how but I will find her and bring her back. Thank you for all support, I will keep you updated

On her way out of town for Las Vegas, Taylor posted only one simple statement:

I’m going to find you and bring you home.

While Taylor Hill was on her way, driving to Las Vegas, Diane's best friend was searching for her from hospital to hospital. "He found my mom, and positively identified her," she said.

At the hospital, doctors and nurses struggled to identify the wounded. One nurse recognized her Intensive Care patient as the woman whose picture was being shared on Facebook. Diane was a Jane Doe no longer. When her best friend reached Sunrise hospital and asked for her, they were able to bring him to her right away.

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"He searched tirelessly for her," Taylor said. "While still on the way to Las Vegas, I learned that my mother had been one of the first victims of the shooting spree. She had been shot through the cheek, suffered a shattered jaw and broken teeth on the side of impact. There was more shrapnel lodged in her back. Nothing major had been hit. She was alive."

Taylor didn’t reach the city until almost 1 p.m., when she learned that her heartfelt Facebook plea had reached more than 17,000 people who shared her story, hoping to help in even a small way.

Those words — and the thought of her mother’s strength, courage, and loving nature — got Taylor through the miles and hours until at last she reached the hospital.

She will come out of this stronger than ever.

“I made it to the hospital,” Taylor wrote on Facebook. “I’ve never felt so broken. It’s a hard sight to see for anybody. Tubes down her throat and dried blood on her rings and jewelry. I am surrounded by close loved friends, including the three women who were with my mom and escaped the terror. My mom is my best friend and a woman with a heart of gold. The most selfless being anyone could find, who like the rest did not deserve this act of terror from a coward.”

The time in the ICU was filled with terror and stress for Diane and all who were there to support her. Two days later, Taylor watched her mother go through more surgery to wire her jaw shut so it can heal. She'll be on a liquid diet until the wiring is removed.

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Taylor reminds herself of the good news, the best news. Her mother’s brain was intact and no organs were damaged. She is alive.

During waking moments, Diane communicates with her family as best she can. She has spelled out things and asked questions, according to Taylor. She understands what happened to her but, like the others who survived the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, doesn't understand why. Diane has even offered an apology, but Taylor and her aunts quickly brushed it aside.

“That’s just my mom,” Taylor Hill said. “She is the best, most selfless person anyone ever knew.”

Diane has spent her life speaking out on behalf of causes, and her admirers — like these friends at the San Diego Zoo — are sharing their messages of support and love in her time of need.

Donations have poured in for those who are hospitalized and their loved ones: pallets of fruit, pizzas, cookies, water, juice and coffee. “That was just a fraction of what was donated,” Taylor said.

Hospital time moves slowly as loved ones await the news of what comes next, especially for patients in the ICU. By October 4, Diane had all tubes removed, was breathing on her own and had slept most of the day. Taylor reported that a surgeon said her jaw would be wired shut for about six weeks and she’d be moved out of ICU by the end of the week. Diane's future includes reconstructive surgery, physical therapy, speech therapy and resuming her life.

Back in the small community of Lake Arrowhead, at Diane's restaurant — Diane’s Saddleback Grill — cards and letters have already started arriving. Taylor and her brothers just want to get their mother home so she can see and enjoy the outpouring of love and support.

“The doctors and nurses have been incredible and have worked non-stop to provide my mom with the treatment she needs,” Taylor said. “I know we are some lucky few. My mom has nine lives.”

Being the strong one is a new role for Taylor.

“I cannot help but feel like I needed to be with (my mom) and protect her,” Taylor Hill said. “During the hospital stay, my imagination continues to run to the fear my mom must have felt. It’s a continuous loop in my head, yet I know she is safe and we are more fortunate than the many others. So that is keeping me sane.”

Thousands continue to follow Diane’s journey to healing. As of the day's end Thursday, she was released from ICU to the hospital floor.

“With such kind words, prayers and love from friends, family and complete and amazing strangers,” Taylor said. “I want to thank them for offering to open their homes, bringing food, providing transportation and just being the support I need and for showing the world that kindness will win.”

If you would like to send a letter of encouragement to Diane Hill, send to: PO box 1890, Lake arrowhead ca 92352
Photos, courtesy Taylor Hill