Las Vegas shooting victim Erin Acquaviva, a local teacher who experienced the gunfire at the Route 91 Festival, shared her experience on a special edition segment on KHTS AM-1220 Wednesday, revealing the impetus for her and her husband’s survival.

Acquaviva sat down with Life Coach Alex Urbina and Certified Grief Counselor Sharon Brubaker to review her experience and discuss the grieving process.

Acquaviva recalls that the moment the initial bullets started flying through the air, she and her friends got separated, but her husband pulled her to a safer spot. It was then that she knew they were running to get home safe for their son and daughter.

Related: Las Vegas Shooting Victim Shares Continuing Struggles, Experts Weigh In On Help Available

“There was not going to be any question in his mind that we were going to get out of there,” Acquaviva said. “He was going to get the mother of his children home to his children. Really early on, we made it out of the VIP tent and we looked at each other and we just kind of made a promise to each other that this is not our time.”

Acquaviva said the couple made it to safety in a matter of about 10 minutes and later checked in with their friends before leaving Las Vegas to head back home to Santa Clarita.

“We heard that the freeway was closed, so we waited (until) as soon as we heard that they opened up the roads, which was about 4 a.m.” Acquaviva said. She added that the ride back to their Santa Clarita home felt much longer than it really was.

When the couple finally made it home, they held their little boy and girl and cried, but decided to wait to tell them what had happened.

“My son said, ‘Are you happy to see us?’ and I said, ‘You have no idea how happy we are to see you,’” Acquaviva said. “We weren’t in a space to share what had happened.”

The Acquaviva’s kept their children home from school Oct. 2 in order to keep them from learning about the event from someone else.

“I (didn’t) want them to find out without us being the ones to share it with them,” Acquaviva said. “Our kids (were) just being so mellow and with us that day, they just didn’t ask for anything. I mean, it’s like they already knew.”

That same day, Acquaviva said she called Life Coach Alex Urbina — who she had been working with prior to the attack in Las Vegas — to ask whether or not she should share their experience with her children.

“You opened that space for me and you said, ‘What would you want your parents to do?’ and I think what I always wanted them to do was to just give it to me straight,” Acquaviva said. She added that she and her husband sat with their kids and discussed what happened the night before.

During a second conversation, Acquaviva said her daughter’s words spoke to her and still ring true to here today.

“We cried, and maybe five minutes into the conversation, my daughter popped up and she said, ‘Living a life scared is not living,’” Acquaviva said. “She’s my little coach, you know.”

“I’m just learning so much from her,” Acquaviva added. “And I hear that little voice in my head all the time over and over again.”

Alex Urbina is a Santa Clarita life coach who offers personal development coaching in both one-on-one and group settings. He may be reached at (661) 505-5021 or alexurbina.com. Sharon Brubaker is a life coach and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. She may be reached at 661-212-0720 or sharonbrubaker.com.  

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