A possible gang-related shooting left Mailo Chavez unable to work even three years after it occurred.

In an article taken from The Bellingham Herald he recounts his harrowing road to “recovery” and wonders how Gabrielle Giffords will fare in the unpredictable world of brain injuries.

He says he often remembers the evening of his accident, and wonders if things would have changed if he’d walked out the door even five minutes later?

“All that hits you in the middle of the night,” he said. “Why was I there? Should I have waited five more minutes before I went out that door?”

Have five minutes ever changed the course of your life?