When Mykenzie Lane and Brandon Helmick attended the Route 91 Harvest music festival the night of October 1, 2017, they never expected that the night would end with them running for their lives.

Lane said that she first heard gunshots just after 10pm, and Helmick immediately got his body between her and the direction of the gunshots and yelled, “Run, now!” They were able to reach a nearby storage container, but just as Helmick was pulling her inside, she was shot in the ankle. Thinking fast, Helmick scooped up his girlfriend and carried her on his back “for what seemed like forever” to an ambulance.

“I’m always grateful for him,” Lane said of that night. “But for him to put his life on the line like that is something I can never explain.”

On April 20, Helmick asked Lane to marry him at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach, California.

“I told her, ‘I’ve wanted this from the beginning and this is everything I want for the future, I love you with all of my heart,'” Helmick recalled.

Remember #VegasShooting survivors Mykenzie Lane & her boyfriend Brandon Helmick of Orange County?

Brandon was shielding Mykenzie from the gunfire when she was shot. He carried her over his shoulder to safety and got her to a hospital. They’re now engaged!! Congrats, you two! pic.twitter.com/hPK4vmFhTz

— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) April 23, 2018

Lane and Helmick have known each other since they were 12, and they grew up together in Tustin, California.

“I played softball and he played baseball,” Lane said. “We’re pretty sure we just crossed paths and had some mutual friends that introduced us.”

They have been dating since 2011, and Lane always thought they would end up together. Their experience in Las Vegas only made their bond even stronger.

“Our relationship was strengthened tremendously. After she was hit, I knew she needed help and I wasn’t going to let anything stop that from happening,” Helmick said.

God bless this amazing and brave young couple! SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!