Drive-By Shooting Survivor Crosses Meeting Blake Shelton Off His Bucket List

Drive-by shooting victim Adam Pepiton says he was inspired by his idol Blake Shelton to keep fighting after he was shot in the head back in 2010.

Last weekend, he crossed meeting the country star off of his bucket list.

Pepiton was nearly fatally shot when he was leaving a friend's barbecue several years ago. At the time, the young man was a criminal justice student and K-Mart employee -- but his life was forever changed by the bullet of a .45. It was Shelton's song 'God Gave Me You,' Pepiton says, that gave him the strength to go on; to be here today.

In fact, the man was so inspired by the singer's hit that he decided to create a YouTube video showing what all he'd been through and asking people to help him meet Shelton. The video shows everything from his surgery to his therapy sessions, with Pepiton improving more and more along the way. It served its purpose, as Shelton's people eventually caught wind of the clip and arranged a meeting between the two.

“Every little ‘like’ on that video helped," Pepiton tells 3TV. "Everyone sharing it helped. I appreciate all of them. Everybody doing that just got me here."

Shelton and the fan met at Ak Chin Pavilion Friday night (Sept. 5), and Pepiton says he can officially cross it off his bucket list. Naturally, he was so excited leading up to the meeting he couldn't sleep the night before.

"Honestly, it didn’t really set in until about last night," Pepiton admits. "I’m like, what I am I gonna say to him? … I couldn’t sleep."

What Is Miranda Lambert's Ringtone for Blake Shelton?