Valentine’s Day 2018 was supposed to be full of love. After 2 p.m., it turned into a tragedy when 17 lives were taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. My wife Diana Haneski worked there, and I worked at the middle school next door. What are the odds of that?
Everything happened so fast. One of my staff was outside and sent a student to me to say she heard gunfire. Then came the code red at my school. Then the text from my wife next door that she was in a code red lockdown because of a shooter. Both of us in lockdowns, phones with non-stop texts from friends and our sons. All I could do was hit the “I can’t talk now” message on the phone.
It would be 5 p.m. before we were released, 7 p.m. before I could get to her, and the next day before we knew how many had been taken. The day of your event never leaves you; you don’t “get over it.” You do move forward and try to do good and help others. There are too many others now who have been through this. Love wins!