ALBANY PARK — Friends and family of an Albany Park man are raising money for his recovery after he was hit by a stray bullet a block away from his home in July, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.More than 260 people have stepped up to help Fabricio Meza, whose coworker started a GoFundMe to pay for his medical bills and other expenses after he was shot. It’s raised over $37,000 of its $100,000 goal as of Thursday morning.Meza was a block away from his home when he heard the lone gunshot ring out.It was 6:45 p.m. on a Tuesday, and Meza had gotten off work early from Bacino’s Italian Grill in Lakeview because of the rain. He took the Brown Line to its last stop at Kimball and started on the 10-minute walk home to his and his wife’s condo on Avers Avenue.“The next thing I know, I heard a loud bang and then I was on the ground,” Meza said. “I couldn’t move. Then I realized I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down.”Meza had been shot by a stray bullet that went straight through his spine between the second and third vertebra, causing him to be paralyzed from the chest down.After spending nearly two weeks in the ICU and another month at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Meza was discharged from the spinal center and returned home this week.“It’s been a whirlwind,” Lauren Hurley-Meza said. “Running there and seeing him that way, that’s something I’ll have to still work through. The journey hasn’t been easy, but every single day he keeps getting stronger, which is really uplifting.”Meza was the victim of a random shooting last month that happened minutes before another shooting a few blocks away in the 3800 block of West Ainslie Street, police said. More than a month later, no one is in custody, and police are still investigating, police said.Anahí Cordova, one of Fabricio’s coworkers at Bacino’s, started the GoFundMe after hearing the news.“Not only is Fabricio a coworker, but he and Lauren have become two of my friends over the last three years,” Cordova said. “When I talked to Lauren and heard about what happened, I just thought this could be one way to share Fabricio’s story and to spread the word to let people know how they can help.”Dozens of coworkers and customers at Bacino’s in Lakeview have donated money to Meza’s fund, Cordova said, which is a testament to how close knit the community is around the restaurant.“Everyone at work and the people who have donated always ask for updates on him and how he’s doing,” Cordova said. “It’s awesome to see the community rally around him.”“It’s amazing,” Hurley-Maza said. “Fa is such an amazing person. All the support we’ve received, I can’t even put it into words. It’s very uplifting.”Fabricio Meza and Lauren Hurley-Meza pose for a portrait on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Credit: Patrick Filbin/Block Club ChicagoAdjusting To A New Reality, TogetherWhen Meza was in the ambulance on the way to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, he remembers asking a paramedic if he was going to die. And he remembers feeling scared, mainly because Lauren wasn’t by his side.The two were reunited at the hospital and — much like their 15-year relationship — have not left each other’s side since.“She’s my rock,” Meza said.The couple have been surrounded by friends and family over the last few weeks as Fabricio recovers from the shooting. At Shirley Ryan, he learned how to adjust to his new reality of life in a wheelchair but is taking it one day at a time.Credit: Provided“I’ve essentially had to learn how to reintegrate myself into the community,” Meza said. “With weeks of occupational and physical therapy, learning how to use the wheelchair, how to drive a car, how to use the kitchen, those kinds of things. Thankfully I’ve had a great support system through it all.”Before working in a number of restaurants and bars around the city, Meza went to school for IT. He figures he’ll re-up his certifications and find a remote job when the time comes.There have been ups and downs throughout the rehab process. Meza said he has dreams at night where he can walk, and he wakes up feeling confused and devastated.Other days, like a recent Saturday night, Fabricio and Lauren will go to the movies and things will feel like they always have.“Right now it’s just about coming to terms with reality,” Meza said. “It’s going to be hard. All the doctors have said I’m going to be completely independent still, so in that aspect I feel lucky. That bullet could have easily taken my life.”The two are counting their blessings as well. Before the shooting, Fabricio would tease Lauren for being “annoyingly optimistic.” That optimism is fueling his recovery every day.“We’ve always been a really close couple. I think this is definitely just a test of life,” Hurley-Meza said. ‘We’re going to continue to do the things we love, but it just may look a little different. But that’s OK. I’m really happy that we still get to continue this journey together.”Support Local News!Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? 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