Missouri teen Ralph Yarl feels like he “got lucky” when he survived being shot twice for ringing the wrong doorbell. Today (April 13) marks the anniversary that the 17-year-old mistakenly went to the wrong house to pick up his two younger brothers from a playdate. The door he should have approached was a block away, but Yarl did not have his phone with him and was unable to double-check the address.

Instead of being warmly greeted, he was shot in the right arm and head by Andrew Lester. The 85-year-old claimed he was in fear for his wellbeing. Yarl previously shared that he heard the man say, “Don’t come here ever again.” The Staley High School scholar managed to flee, seeking help from neighbors. He was declared a “walking miracle” and managed to make a full recovery despite dealing with a traumatic brain injury.

Days later, Lester turned himself in and was charged with felony first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He was released on a $200,000 bond. The all-state bass clarinet player told NBC News “It’s definitely a bumpy journey,” ahead of the one-year mark of the life-altering experience. The interview is the first in-depth public discussion about the shooting that he has participated in.

“Whenever there’s something that goes on that reminds me of what happened ... I just have, like, such a negative wave of emotions, like anger, like disgust. It’s always a mix of good and bad days. And I feel like the good days are when I’m able to be around people that help me build myself up,” he added.

The college-bound student has described his recovery as a “constant uphill battle” that led him to not attend his senior prom out of concern of his peers asking about the shooting, at times avoiding phone calls and texts, and difficulty synthesizing complex information. He also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. “If someone approaches me with kindness, of course, I’m going to be friendly with them,” he said, but still, he noted that “there’s always a part of me that says that person could potentially” be a threat.

Next fall, he plans to pursue an engineering degree when he enrolls at a university, though he has yet to decide which he will attend. “I just feel like I got lucky, really,” he said about his survival. Lester is expected to appear before a judge on Sept. 6. His trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 7.