A GoFundMe for the sons of an Atlanta shooting victim has raised over $2 million.
Hyun Jung Grant, a single mother to two boys, was one of eight people killed during the attack on Tuesday (March 16). She was also one of six Asian women to be killed in the attack, CBS News reports.
Randy Park, her eldest son, 22, has now been left with the responsibility of preparing for her funeral and looking after his younger brother.
In an effort to help them get back on their feet, he started a GoFundMe with an initial goal of $20,000.
"Frankly, I have no time to grieve," the 22-year-old wrote on the fundraiser website. "It is only my brother and I in the United States. The rest of my family is in South Korea and are unable to come."
Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in the shooting, has been charged with eight counts of murder, and at the time of writing, the shooting has not been ruled out as a hate crime.
The other victims of the shooting were Delaina Ashley Yaun, Yong Ae Yue, Suncha Kim, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Soon Chung Park, and Paul Andre Michels.
Park described his mom as one of his best friends and also "the strongest influence on who we are today."
"Losing her has put a new lens on my eyes on the amount of hate that exists in our world. As much as I want to grieve and process the reality that she is gone, I have a younger brother to take care of and matters to resolve as a result of this tragedy," he said. "...I will need to figure out the living situation for my brother and I for the next few months, possibly year."
Park said in an interview with the Associated Press that despite working almost every day, his mom always found a way to enjoy life.
On his GoFundMe page, Park explained that his biggest priority was laying his mother to rest, although he had not yet obtained her body for legal reasons, and finding a new, less expensive place for himself and his brother to live.
Park's story, however, touched the hearts of many, and by Saturday afternoon, more than 62,000 people had donated over $2 million - with the current total, as of this writing, standing at $2,694,630.
"I don't know how any word I write here will ever convey how grateful and blessed I am to receive this much support," he wrote as an update on the GoFundMe page. "... And to those of you that have donated any amount of money. To put it bluntly, I can't believe you guys exist. People I will probably never meet, hear, nor express my thanks to."
He explained that his friends had helped him to write his initial fundraising campaign, but his thanks are "my words uncut and unedited."
"I will live the rest of my days grateful for what has essentially given my family a second chance," he said. "I can't help but feel selfish for all the attention this has garnered...This doesn't represent even a fragment of how I feel. My mother can rest easy knowing I have the support of the world with me."
