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Uninsured Michigan Woman Shoots Herself, Seeking Medical Attention

By Kamika Dunlap | Last updated on

Kathy Myers could face charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, but that is probably the least of her concerns while being nursed back to health after shooting herself in the shoulder to get medical attention.

An uninsured Michigan woman Kathy Myers, 41, put a gun to her shoulder and pulled the trigger as a cry for help and medical attention for a painful pre-existing condition, the Niles Daily Star reports.

Her self-inflicted gunshot wound with .25 caliber handgun was not a "suicide wish" but a drastic measure she was forced to take as she is unemployed, uninsured, and unable to afford a doctor. Myers said she has not been able to see a specialist or find a specialist who will accept her on a payment plan she can afford.

She originally injured her shoulder trying to keep her 86-pound dog from chasing after two Chihuahuas. Meyers said her shoulder popped in three places.

Myers took a job at a local recycling company hoping to stay on as long as it took to get insured, but it only seemed to make her shoulder injury worse.

By shooting herself, she would be in emergency care and hoped to force the doctors to not only fix the gun wound, but her previous shoulder problem as well.

Myers missed the bone in her shoulder, having aimed for the rotator cuff, and is now in more pain.

She also faces criminal charges for firing a weapon within city limits.

Myers said the officer who responded was pretty understanding and now she hopes that the Berrien County Prosecutor's office chooses not to prosecute the case.

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