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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — A mother whose son was killed while on duty as a firefighter is turning that heartbreak into healing.
Sunday marks three years since Birmingham firefighter Jordan Melton was shot on duty. He died five days later. Now, his mother is making it her life’s mission to support other women who lost their children in a similar way.
Dr. Rochelle Gaston Malone said Sunday brought back the painful memories of getting the call that her son was shot and waiting at the hospital while he was in surgery. But in the years since her son’s death, Gaston Malone has worked to transform that grief into purpose.
“I went in today I think better than last year because my focus was so on the hope and healing of other mothers that I focused on the calling of what I had to do today and that helped to dull the pain of the remembrance of what happened to him three years ago today,” she said.
At the third annual J.E.M.S. Society Observance and Mothers Honors luncheon, she gathered with and honored mothers who have also lost children to gun violence and offered support, recognition and encouragement to women carrying the weight of tragedy.
She said the goal is simple but powerful—reminding grieving mothers they are seen. For honoree Catrina Carey, that support matters.
“When someone takes time out of their day to honor you,” Carey said, “it makes you feel good because it kind of takes the pressure off when you’re having a bad day and you get that call saying, ‘We want to honor you.’ It feels amazing.”
Gaston Malone said she never expected gun violence to touch her own family so personally. Now, she says her faith has helped carry her through the darkest moments and shaped the way she serves others facing similar pain. Her hope, she said, is that mothers who attend events like the luncheon feel empowered to keep moving forward — without guilt.
Damien McDaniel is charged with Melton’s murder. A trial date has not yet been set, but Gaston Malone said she is not rushing the legal process because she wants to make sure justice is served.
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