Yann Meersseman of Oak Bluffs boarded a flight for Paris Wednesday to be with his son, Arnaud, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest, suffered during an attack by Islamic State terrorists on a concert hall Friday.
In emails and Facebook posts, Islanders have reached out to Mr. Meersseman and his wife, Moira Fitzgerald, to express their support and concern. Mr. Meersseman said the community reaction has been overwhelming and much appreciated.
He flew from Martha’s Vineyard to Boston Wednesday, courtesy of Cape Air, which called out of the blue to arrange the flight.
His 34-year-old son by an earlier marriage, Arnaud, a resident of Paris, spent the weekend in a Parisian hospital in a medically induced coma. By Tuesday, with his two brothers by his side, he was free of his breathing tube and wide awake.
“This morning he was all smiles,” Mr. Meersseman told The Times Tuesday afternoon. “He can talk, and he remembers everything. He is his usual self, just a little tired. It’s fantastic news.”
Mr. Meersseman said his son was very, very lucky in light of the many deaths and serious injuries during the series of attacks that night.
Arnaud Meersseman was part of the production team for a concert by the Eagles of Death Metal, a California band playing in the Bataclan, a concert hall where most of the deaths in the series of coordinated attacks across Paris occurred. Three gunmen armed with assault rifles and wearing suicide vests stormed the hall where more than 1,000 music fans were listening to the group at 9:40 pm, according to published reports. The gunmen shot indiscriminately into the crowd before the police regained control in a hail of gunfire and explosions shortly after midnight, the New York Times reported.
Mr. Meersseman said his son met the gaze of the shooter. “He looked the killer in the eye,” Mr. Meersseman said. The terrorist shot him in the back as he turned to escape.
With the help of a friend who was not injured, Arnaud managed to get to a restroom where they hid until police arrived more than one hour later.
Mr. Meersseman described his son’s injuries. “He basically had a bullet go through his chest — it went in and out — and punctured a lung and fortunately didn’t touch anything else,” he said. “They told us it was very close to his heart but not close enough to be a real danger.”
The New York Times reported that 89 people were shot to death in the hall. Many more were severely wounded. Over all, the death toll from the attacks on restaurants, a soccer stadium, and the concert hall stood at 129, with 352 wounded, 99 of them critically.
Mr. Meersseman has three sons, a set of twins, Mathieu and Clément, and Arnaud, the oldest.
Mr. Meersseman said his birthday was on Nov. 11, and Clément, who lives in Annapolis, Md., made a surprise visit with his wife to the Vineyard. He drove them to T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island Friday, and had just returned home when Clément called to tell him about the attack on Paris.
“I think somebody from France called him and told him about it,” Mr. Meersseman said. “We had no idea those attacks were going on in Paris. It was my son who called and told me that Arnaud was actually there. So it was quite a long night, actually.”
The doctors expect a good recovery. “Physically, unless there are some complications, he should be OK,” Mr. Meersseman said. “Mentally, I don’t know what that does to you. I’m a little concerned about that.”
Friends respond
Mr. Meersseman and his wife Moira Fitzgerald play a critical link in the lives of many Islanders, many of whom they have never met. Seven days a week, each week of the year, they rise well before dawn to meet the Patriot boat at the dock in Oak Bluffs and load their minivan with the daily Island shipment of the New York Times and the Boston Globe for delivery to retailers across Martha’s Vineyard.
However, they are best known for the photographs they take daily during their early-morning travels — sunrises, boats at anchor, livestock, beaches, and fields — when the Island is its most peaceful. The photos provide a stark contrast to the horror that has now touched their lives in a very personal and direct way.
What was once an email list of friends has grown into a Vineyard Colors website and Facebook page with thousands of followers who eagerly look forward to that day’s published image.
As news of his son’s injury spread, by Sunday morning more than 250 people had posted comments to the Vineyard Colors Facebook page expressing their support and concern. Many of those who commented referenced the importance of the photos the couple post.
“Sending positive thoughts and prayers your way. Your daily photos are so beautiful and inspiring. If only the world could be the same. Hope your son has a speedy recovery,” Tina Smith Groulx said.
“We will hold you and your family in our hearts. Please know that we have appreciated the daily beauty you have brought into our lives and so we will keep your son’s recovery in our hearts and minds,” said Sharon O’Connor.
“Following your posts for so long, I feel as if I know you. I am so sorry that this tragedy has affected your family in such a way, but it sounds like your son is receiving very good care. I wish you safe travels to France and that the beauty and peace that surrounds you on the Vineyard can bring you some comfort at this most difficult time,” said Christie Johnson.
“The Vineyard is a small community. Both summer and year-rounders are part of family who don’t know each other but share a love of our special island. Your Vineyard family is thinking of you and your son. Thank you for bringing us all peace, joy and beauty with your amazing photos. Our prayers are with you,” Deby Jecoy Nunes said.
Mr. Meersseman said he and his wife Moira have been touched by the outpouring of support, and are very grateful. “I’ve gotten so many emails and so many messages,” he said. “It’s so comforting, and it’s so overwhelming. As much as we would like to reply to everybody, it is just impossible.”
Mr. Meersseman said that soon after his story appeared on mvtimes.com, he found himself being sucked into the 24/7 news vortex. There were constant calls for interviews and invitations to appear on national morning shows. It turned into a “circus,” Mr. Meersseman said, and he wanted no part of it.
“It was just too much; it was just distracting,” Mr. Meersseman said.
Although he has stopped posting updates for the moment, he wants the Vineyard community to know that he appreciates all of its support.
He said he and his wife started Vineyard Colors to share the beauty they saw each morning with a couple of friends, and never anticipated it would gain such widespread popularity. “And here again the connection is amazing; what people tell us and how they feel,” he said.
Mr. Meersseman is a native of Belgium. His mother was French. He has watched the reaction of politicians to the attacks and listened to comments with some degree of concern.
One person he spoke to on his morning rounds said, ‘It is terrible, and we should just go and bomb the hell out of these people.’ And I really don’t like that reaction: sure, they come and kill our kids, let’s go and kill theirs. That’s not a solution, that’s not what this is about. Using it to spread fear, and polarizing, and black and white, it’s a lot more complicated than that. And innocent people get caught in the middle.”
