More than $ 2 million was raised for a woman’s two children killed in one of three shootings at a spa in the Atlanta area.
Randy Park, 23, created a GoFundMe account on Thursday to raise money for rent, food and other expenses after his mother, Hyun Jung Grant, 51, was killed on Tuesday. Grant was one of nine victims in the spate of spa shootings in Atlanta and Cherokee County.
“She was one of my best friends and the biggest influence on who we are today,” wrote Park on GoFundMe. “As much as I want to cry and process the reality that she is gone, I have a younger brother to take care of and issues to resolve as a result of this tragedy.”
Park had set a goal to raise $ 20,000. But as of Saturday, the account, verified by GoFundMe, had accumulated more than $ 2.4 million. Park expressed his gratitude in a poignant post.
“I don’t know how a word I write here can convey how grateful and blessed I am to receive so much support,” he said, writing that his family received “a second chance”.
According to the GoFundMe page, more than 63,000 people donated money to Park and his brother.
“For those of you who donated any amount of money. To be honest, I can’t believe you exist,” wrote Park. “People I will probably never meet, hear or express my thanks to. This is simply a change in my life. Thank you very much to everyone. It doesn’t even represent a fragment of how I feel.”
Park, who works as a cashier at a bakery, told NBC News that he and his younger brother grew up in Seattle with their mother. She moved them south about 13 years ago for a better life and because of Atlanta’s rich Korean history.
Grant worked long days and usually slept at the spa where he worked in Atlanta, instead of driving the 30 miles to Duluth, where the family lived.
“She spent her entire life just existing for me and my brother. She never had time to travel, ”Park said in an interview on Friday. “She stayed at home only a few days every few weeks.”
Park said in the GoFundMe post that his mother can now “rest easy knowing that I have the support of the world with me”.
Eight people, including Grant, were killed on Tuesday by a sniper who opened fire at two spas in Atlanta and one in Cherokee County. A man was injured in the shooting and is currently hospitalized.
The suspected sniper, a 21-year-old man from Woodstock, was arrested and charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.
