Mother of Hostage Victim Speaks Publicly for 1st Time Since Her Daughter's Death
There is nothing that can prepare you for the sudden loss of a loved one.
While some can see loss coming from a mile away when friends or family fall ill or their health starts to decline, having someone ripped from you during the prime of their life is its own brand of devastating.
Three women were killed as a result of a standoff that took place on Friday in Yountville, California.
The incident involved 36-year-old Albert Wong, a man who had been going to The Pathway Home, which was started to help veterans.
Wong had been going for treatments for about a year before being discharged. But two weeks after that, he sneaked back in and started wreaking havoc, holding three women hostage.
One of the mothers who lost a daughter has now stepped forward and broken her silence.
Lani Gray, mother of Dr. Jennifer Golick, is still processing what has happened. The daughter she knew, loved, and raised was taken away from her far too soon.
“I woke up yesterday morning crying in my sleep and when I got up I was still crying,” she said. “And I’m still crying inside and I will be forever.”
Of course, any mother would likely be experiencing these raw emotions only three days after losing her child.
Her plight is one many recognize and can sympathize with: parents should not have to bury their children. It should be the other way around.
“What a great lady Jennifer was and still is in my heart,” Gray continued. “I miss her so much. I feel sadness throughout my entire body.”
“She is missed terribly,” Marc, Golick’s husband, said.
Another woman, Dr. Jennifer Gonzales Shushereba, who was killed in the incident, was not the only casualty in her death.
“We had so much ahead of us,” TJ Shushereba, Jennifer’s husband, said. “We were expecting our first child in June.”
These two women, along with Executive Director Christine Loeber, devoted their lives to helping veterans with PTSD, combat-related problems, and mental health issues.
They ended up giving their lives to the cause as well — but while loved ones are still grieving, they know that what their daughters, mothers, sisters, and friends did was important and needs to be continued.
“While we deeply hate the actions of Albert Wong, I think Jennifer would want us not to hate the person, but would want us to be understanding,” Mike Gonzales, Jennifer’s father, said. “This man had a problem and was sick.”
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