ORLANDO, Fla. – It's one of the first things parents Lonnie and Sandy Phillips ask when they meet with survivors and families of the victims of mass shooting tragedies: "Tell me about your child, or tell me about your mother."
"It's mainly if they want to talk," Sandy Phillips said. "(We) ask them about themselves and let them talk, just let them cry, let them listen, hold them, hold their hands."
The couple has also experienced pain in the national spotlight. Their daughter, Jessica Redfield-Ghawi, was killed in the Aurora Theater shooting. It was just one month after the 24-year-old had escaped the Toronto mass shooting. Redfield Ghawi had missed the gunshots there by just 3 minutes.
Her mom now remembers her through some of her last words, the same as the mother of Pulse victim Eddie Justice.
"I worry about the one who received text messages, because I know that my text messages mean everything in the world to me," Sandy Phillips said.
Now Redfield-Ghawi's parent's keep her name alive by helping other survivors. They said the power is in simply being there.
"That is not our job to make them feel better," Sandy Phillips said. "Our job is just to say, 'We understand. This happened to us, too, and there are other things coming at you, and we'll be there to help you navigate.'"
Lonnie and Sandy Phillips have watched over and over as the world has collapsed for those families, creating a twisted bond they wish didn't exist.
"There's a family out there of other victims of mass shootings from coast to coast, and that's sad," Sandy Phillips said. "That's so sad that we have gotten to that point."
Lonnie and Sandy Phillips have a foundation for survivors called Jessi's Message. They plan to continue meeting with families in Orlando, helping them to get whatever resources they need.