The deadliest recorded mass shooting in America did not only kill 49 people, it also broke the lives of others who will forever be inflicted by the doom of the night massacre. On the countless vigils, tributes, and funerals that piled up, the funeral of a mom to 11 children might be one of the most heartbreaking.
49-year-old mom, Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, was among the 49 fallen people on June 12, 2016 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The mom of 7 boys and 4 girls was out partying with Isaiah Henderson, her 21-year-old gay son as The Washington Post reported.
When the gunman entered the club and opened fire, Brenda shielded Isaiah and was shot twice in front of her son and friends. This seems like a nod to the mom's life as she fought cancer twice (via The Washington Post).
Going to the gay club has been one of the favorite pasttimes of mom Brenda and son Isaiah. On just another typical nightout for the mom and son, a nightmare happened and now the 11 children of Brenda Lee Marquez McCool are grieving her death, not from cancer, but from two gunshots of a seemingly pitiless assailant (via The Washington Post).
"I just want to say my mom was the best mom out there. I never thought that her life would be ended right in front of my eyes. I kept so positive that she was going to make it," Isaiah Henderson said in the opening salvo of his eulogy.
"I didn't want to speak, because I knew this was going to happen, but I knew I would have regretted it if I never spoke. I haven't stopped crying since," he continued, "I love my mom. Everybody who knew her should have loved her, too. She was crazy. Chacho, let me tell you."
Farrell Marshall, the fifth son of Brenda, sought donations online for the family of 11. He started a Go Fund Me page that has currently raised $69,000 in honor of his mom.
"She just went out last night and said goodbye to her children and to be called 3 hours later that she has been hit by 2 gun shots and later pronounced dead and to be among the 49 killed this very day is beyond me. One decision changed the lives of many. All I ask is for prayers and whatever you can to help me and brothers, sisters to be able to pick up the pieces where she left off," Marshall wrote in the page.
As per NBC News, Monday was declared a day of morning by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. Brenda Lee Marquez McCool was laid to rest that day at First United Methodist Church with over 200 spectators. 49 white balloons were released after the funeral rites.
The Orlando Mayor released a statement afterwards that expressed his hopes for Orlando. "My hope is that Orlando will be remembered, not as the site of a horrible shooting but as the city that showed others that love can conquer hate. My hope is that Orlando's tragedy is remembered as the event that led our country into a new era of embracing diversity, equality and fairness," Dyer said in the statement as quoted by Global News.
Did it really need the loss of 49 lives before people can realize that diversity, equality and fairness are beautiful concepts of life to be practiced? Did it need the death of a mom of 11 children for people to come together and fight the culture of hate? Sound off your thoughts on the Comments section below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
