MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Six years after her daughter was killed in a mass shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School, the pain is still raw for Michelle Jeffreys.
"Those first two or three years I honestly didn't think I was going to survive this," said Jeffreys. "I just really wanted to die. And I don’t think I really knew how much I did."
Zoe Galasso, 14, was one of five teens who died in the shooting on Oct. 24, 2014. The incident changed the city of Marysville, and its affected families forever.
And for Jeffreys, surviving the pain meant healing with the help of friends and family, while also creating an outlet for her feelings in an online journal. Healing Thru Wellness quickly became a place for people to connect.
But Jeffreys was searching for something more. In recent years, she began working on a new book that was a compilation of her journal entries.
"I just wrote everything that was going on in my head. It just dumped," said Jeffreys. "There were dark thoughts. But it was freedom."
The book, 'My Rainbow to Keep', is now a source for other parents coping with similar tragedy. Jeffreys is also working on a children's book.
"I wrote this book for Zoe," she said. "I think she would be so proud of me right now."
A portion of the proceeds from book sales will also go to a new scholarship fund at Marysville Pilchuck High School, in coordination with the Rotary Club of Marysville.