BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Life for Londin Thomas changed drastically on May 14th, 2022. She will always remember having to hide in a cooler for safety.
But she's not letting hate steal her joy.
“I’m just happy that I made it and I’m not hurt," said Londin, who was in the store with her parents on May 14, 2022.
I met her a few hours after the shooting, right outside the store. Then I shared the Tweet below.
She was there to get a birthday cake for her mom. She ended up hiding in a milk cooler with her dad until police escorted her out to safety.
"She thought she would never see me again, but when she realized I was still alive and we were reunited, she tried to be strong for me," said Julie Harwell, Londin's mom.
Her family has since moved to Buffalo's West Side, but the East Side will always bring back emotions.
“My home, my neighborhood. And that’s our local store that we always go to, so it doesn’t feel real when we do go in the Tops," said Harwell. "It doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
Julie's birthday is May 15, so this time of year will always be bittersweet.
"We really don’t try to talk about it," said Harwell. "We are trying to celebrate the lives that were spared, we try to make the victims still live on.”
She wants to be a voice for survivors.
“We’re not gonna let this stop us," she said. ”Hold our families a little bit tighter, a little bit closer, anything can happen even when you’re getting a cake at the store. Life is unpredictable.”
Londin's advice? Stay safe and don’t be afraid.
"She really did learn from it. It didn’t stop her from being a kid. She is appreciative of life," said Harwell.
That mother-daughter bond remains unbreakable as they celebrate life three years later.
