TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Cities and counties all over Florida mourned the loss of 17 lives taken during the Parkland school shooting last Wednesday.
At each memorial, each name was read aloud.
One of those memorials was held at Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa, organized by the PTA in Hillsborough.
One by one, the victims’ lives were remembered.
Each name brought with it, a question so many are asking.
How do you heal an aching heart?
Those at Curtis Hixon Park answered that question by seeking comfort in one another.
“We are Parkland strong. We are Douglas strong,” said Naomi Frierson.
“We have your back and we won’t ever let go. You have brothers and sisters all over the state and the nation, and the world.”
From Parkland to the Tampa Bay area, the raw emotion of grief is something we’re all sharing.
Moms like Adelina Dechard broke down as she thought of so many parents who no longer have their children.
“Just to feel my daughter’s hand on my shoulder. So many moms don’t have that anymore. That’s not okay,: she said.
Dechard’s daughter attends Gaither High School and the fear that this could happen anywhere made words hard to come by.
“It’s not… it’s not okay. It’s heartbreaking,” said Dechard.
