223: Ross was shot while sleeping

223: Ross was shot while sleeping

Author: Scott Johnson & Glassbox Media. July 18, 2025 Duration: 1:37:08
In an ideal world, children should be able to trust their parents. After all, it’s the grown-ups in the family who are responsible for the kids. No child should ever have to worry about safety when mom and dad are around for protection - in an ideal world.   That’s the world Ross thought he was living in when he was 8 years old, with his older brother Ryan, who was 10. They were happy kids with no reason to be afraid. Until one night at their home in Charlotte, North Carolina, when his mother told his father she wanted a divorce. That’s when something snapped in Ross’s dad’s mind, and he got a gun, and forever changed the history of their family.   This is a Flashback episode. Ross was 21 when we first had this conversation, and he’s permanently blind. At the time, he was training to swim in the Summer 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.   Now he’s 27, and I spoke with him again recently, so you’ll be able to learn what’s happened in his life since he originally appeared on the podcast, and what his plans are for the future. Ross is a pretty amazing young man and I think you’ll enjoy this episode.   If you’d like to contact Ross: Instagram: @RossMinorOfficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlindRossMinor Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/rossminor   Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/223   Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.   Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)   Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.   Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app   Sponsor deals: If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod   Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.   Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!   Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a moment in many lives when everything changes in an instant-a sudden encounter, a split-second decision, a catastrophic event. What Was That Like-True Stories. Real People. is built entirely around those moments. Host Scott Johnson, alongside Meredith Hackwith Edwards, steps back to let people narrate their own extraordinary experiences in their own words. This isn’t a narrated documentary or a dramatized re-enactment; it’s raw, first-person testimony. You’ll hear the intricate details of surviving a grizzly bear attack, the chilling silence after an engine fails mid-flight, or the profound disorientation of being caught in a public tragedy. Each conversation delves deep, not just into the event itself, but into the emotional and psychological journey that followed. The focus is on the human spirit’s resilience, exploring how individuals process trauma, find courage they never knew they had, and ultimately rebuild. This podcast sits at a compelling intersection of personal journal, societal study, and true human drama, offering an intimate window into realities most of us can scarcely imagine. By listening, you’re granted a privileged seat at a kitchen table conversation where someone is finally ready to share the full, unvarnished truth of what they endured and how it shaped them.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.
Podcast Episodes
248: Adam fell during a phone call [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:19
Sometimes, technology can almost seem like magic. That’s how I think sometimes about cell phones. I mean, you can just pull a little device out of your pocket, tap a couple of things on the screen, and suddenly you’re ta…
TQ58: What's one of the stupidest things you've ever done? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:50
Every other Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What's one of the stupidest th…
247: Alyssa watched her abuser burn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:31
If you’re in the Austin, Texas area – let’s meet up. I’ll be in Austin the second week of March – and this is 2026, for you listeners of the future – we’ll have another in-person Listener Meetup on March 11. This is wher…
246: Sarah's son can't talk about his pain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:23
As parents, you want your child to be healthy and happy. And you’ll do anything to make that happen. But that’s not always easy when your child is autistic. Science and medicine has learned a lot about autism, but there’…
TQ57: What did your boss do that made him/her the worst boss ever? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:42
Every other Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What did your boss do that mad…
STAS 12: William Moldt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:34
The case of William Moldt shows us that sometimes a mystery has to wait for technology to catch up. Sponsor deals: Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off. If you’re 21 or older, get 25…
245: Honor encountered an angry hippo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:12
Here on the podcast we’ve several episodes with guests who have told the story of being attacked by an animal. These include a grizzly bear, a monkey, a shark, a rattlesnake, a tiger, a pair of dogs, an alligator, and a…
TQ56: What are you starting to hate as you get older? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:43
Every other Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What are you starting to hate…
244: Justin found his mom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:17
Sometimes, there comes a moment in your life when everything changes. You might have a little warning ahead of time, or it might come as a complete surprise. It might be a surprise that makes your whole life better, or i…
243: Scott woke up from a coma [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:31
I wonder if this ever happens to you. Maybe you’re visiting someone and you’re staying overnight. Or you’re on a trip and you’re staying in a hotel or an Airbnb. And that first time you wake up, you have a brief few seco…