This is one of the hardest things I ever written, and I've been writing health blogs every week for more than 30 years.

A few days ago, my precious 33-year-old son, Michael, was taken from me in a senseless act of violence. Michael was the founder of Mindful Movers, a professional moving company based in central Florida.He has nothing but 5 star reviews. 

What you may not know is that the last thing he was trying to do was help someone else. He had stopped at a Home Depot in Apopka to buy a special part so he could repair a bench that had been accidentally damaged during a move. Instead of blaming his employee, hiding it from the customer like other movers might do, he just wanted to make it right for his customer, so he left the job site and drove down Orange Blossom Trail to go to Home Depot to get a special screw or part.

He never made it in. While he was in the parking lot, someone shot him. It's been on the local news, though I still cannot bring myself to watch the videos. I haven't even seen the person responsible, but I hope there will be justice.

Our life changed forever in an instant. There are simply no words for the heartbreak I am experiencing. The shock. The brutality. The senselessness of it all.

Ever since the trauma surgeon called to tell me my son had died, every moment has been a blur, a nightmare. People say that with time you somehow move forward, but right now I'm simply trying to survive one moment at a time. I am shattered.

Children are everything to a parent. Michael was my son, my sweet little baby boy who grew up to become a remarkable man with incredible strength and an enormous heart.

He was a problem solver, a caretaker, and someone who quietly helped people without expecting anything in return.

He hired people for his company who were down on their luck and simply needed someone to believe in them.

He bought strangers dinner. He was funny. He occasionally surprised his crew with fun outings because he wanted them to feel appreciated.

If you casually mentioned something you needed, it often showed up because Michael had quietly noted your desire.

Like me, he wanted to make people's lives better—one home -one move- one act of kindness at a time. His hundreds of five-star Google reviews tell the story of who he truly was. Moving people wasn't just a job to him—it was his joy. He helped people through some of life's most stressful moments, and if someone needed him, he was there.

When I went to clean out his home, which was a horrific task, his neighbors whom I had never met came over.

We stood together in the driveway crying as they shared stories about my son. They loved him. In that moment, I realized his kindness had reached far beyond our family, and hearing those stories reminded me that Michael's life touched so many more people than I ever knew.

Michael leaves behind his sisters, and also beloved one-year-old daughter, Colette. Her mother, Emily, is now raising her alone while also living with lasting physical limitations from a bicycle accident several years ago. Together they were building a life, but now she and Colette are facing an unimaginable future without him.

I created this GoFundMe to help provide stability, security, and opportunities for Colette as she grows up. Emily is now grieving the loss of the man she loved while raising their little girl on her own. We are all shocked and grief-stricken. Every dollar raised will help build the future Michael would have wanted for Colette.

If you're unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser and keeping our family in your thoughts or prayers would mean the world.

If you'd simply like to leave a message for Colette to read someday, I would treasure that.

My hope is that one day she'll come to know more about her dad through the love and kindness of others.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for every prayer, every hug, every message, and every act of kindness shown to our family during these unimaginably difficult days. With love, ❤️ Suzy