Month: May 2026

Congratulations, Ky’mari! Freedom High Wrestler Will Be The First In Her Family To Go To College!

*Freedom High wrestler & graduate Ky’Mari Riley*
***(Photo source: Hillsborough County Public Schools)***

When graduating senior Ky’mari Riley came to Freedom High School as a freshman, she didn’t have any experience as an athlete. She had never played sports growing up.

“I wasn’t able to,” she says, “I had a very strong interest in golf, but I couldn’t play because of financial issues.”

But, Jenna Lamour, Freedom’s athletic director & assistant principal for administration, noticed Ky’mari and encouraged her to try flag football. At the time, she says, “She came in really shy as a freshman, timid and nervous to get involved.”

But once Ky’mari took the field, Lamour says, something special comes out.

“She’s an absolute beast on the field.”

And Ky’mari was always up to try something new. First, she played softball, then participated in track and field, where she tried shot put.

It wasn’t until her junior year when she first joined the wrestling team.

“Girls’ wrestling is really taking off,” says Lamour. “There are lots of opportunities in the sport right now, and she thrived.”

That year, Ky’mari earned first place in Hillsborough County in her weight class.

This year, as a senior, she had an even better wrestling season, as she was the county runner-up, District 1A-7 champion, Region R2 runner-up, and placed sixth overall in the State.

“This year was her year,” says Lamour. “She would have won States if not for an injury that ended the match.”

Perhaps best of all, however, is that Ky’mari thrived in the classroom, as well. She took extra classes so that she could finish high school early. While she’ll walk across the stage and officially graduate with the rest of her class at Freedom’s graduation on May 28, she completed all of her coursework last December, freeing up her schedule to work this semester to help with finances.

While she spent a couple years of high school living with her single mom, she had previously and currently again lives with her grandmother. It wasn’t always easy, but she says the circumstances she has overcome have helped push her harder to pursue her dreams.

While no one in her family has ever even attended college, Ky’mari says her aunt has always encouraged her to be the one who would be the first to do so.

And, thanks to her hard work on the mat and in the classroom, she has earned a scholarship to Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA, where she will attend and wrestle this fall.

Ky’mari says she owes her success, at least in part, to Freedom wrestling coach Derrick McCoy, whose support included driving her to practices and matches.

McCoy is himself a Freedom graduate who came back to his alma mater. After graduating in 2006 as one of the school’s top wrestlers, he attended the University of South Florida in Tampa. He returned to Freedom in 2011 to coach wrestling and teach marketing classes.

McCoy has now been the head wrestling coach at Freedom for 14 years and Ky’mari is not the only student athlete whose life has been changed by his influence.

“He’s selfless and pours his heart and soul into his student athletes and cares for them like they’re his own children,” Lamour says, adding that McCoy is a great coach from a technical standpoint, but, “his heart is even bigger.”

In addition to the support from McCoy, Lamour says Ky’mari’s success also is a reflection of her character, which shines both on and off any playing field or wrestling mat she has been on during her time at Freedom.

“She’s the nicest student we have,” Lamour says. “She’s so loving, so kind and extremely hardworking. Her teachers rave about her because she contributes positively in the classroom and she’s both a team player and a leader. She’s a high achiever who has set high standards for herself.”

Those are all qualities that make Lamour certain Ky’mari will thrive in her next chapter.

“I am ready to go,” Ky’mari says. Especially knowing she’s joining a wrestling team where she’ll make new connections and bonds with new teammates and coaches, “I feel like it’s a new start, and I’m very stoked and excited.”

Ky’mari adds that she’s looking forward to getting on campus and joining some clubs, and of course, wrestling.

While Ky’mari is currently working to overcome the injury she experienced at States, she says that it’s just a temporary setback.

“My injury is going to heal. I’m going to be training hard and I’m going to come back 10 times harder,” she says. “I think I’m going to have a great season.”

Editor’s note — We first found out about Ky’mari because Hillsborough County Public Schools highlighted her on Facebook as a graduating senior who “has overcome great obstacles to succeed.” The School District has done (or is planning to do) the same thing for all of Hillsborough’s high schools, but the honoree from Wharton High had not yet been highlighted at our press time.

We are proud to give students like Ky’mari, who may not graduate in the Top-10 of their respective graduating classes, but whose accomplishments are no less impressive, a little “ink.”

But, we can’t possibly find out about all of these cool success stories without your help, so please email me at ads@ntneighborhoodnews. com to let me know about a student you know about who hasn’t been featured on these pages — even if they go to a private school or aren’t even in high school yet! — GN

Congratulations To The Top-10 Graduating Seniors At Freedom High School

Freedom High School — Graduation Ceremony: Thursday, May 28, 8 a.m., at Florida State Fairgrounds

1. Maggie Takamatsu, Valedictorian

GPA: 8.64

Clubs/Activities: SGA VP, HOSA president, United in Christ president, varsity golf, varsity track & field, varsity cross country, volunteer for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

College planning to attend: University of South Florida

Planned major or future career: Health Sciences on pre-med track aspiring to be an ophthalmologist.

Best thing about high school: Getting the opportunity to challenge myself both in & outside of the classroom while meeting my best friends.

2. Stephanie Daglo, Salutatorian

GPA: 8.56

Clubs/Activities: SGA, black student union, NHS, National English Honor Society, French Honor Society, Rho Kappa, DECA, FBLA

College planning to attend: Howard University

Planned major or future career: Political Science major/lawyer

Best thing about high school: Hanging out with friends.

3. Leah Wood

GPA: 7.96

Clubs/Activities: Spanish Honor Society, Book Club, Key Club, Little Lives Club, Junior Class Council, Senior Class Council, Tri-M Music Honor Society, NHS, Girl Scouts Bronze, Silver & Gold Award recipient, varsity swim, varsity track, varsity lacrosse

College planning to attend: Florida State University Honors

Planned major or future career: Sports management & economics/international sports agent

Best thing about high school: Baking for my friends to celebrate every holiday and their achievements

4. Zuri Moore

GPA: 7.43

Clubs/Activities: Lacrosse, Math Honor Society, math tutoring, Cause for Paws Club, Environmental Sciences Club, Science Honor Society

College planning to attend: University of Chicago

Planned major or future career: Environmental Science

Best thing about high school: Hanging out with friends at lunch and football games

5. Hayder Alfatlawi

GPA: 7.26

Clubs/Activities: FBLA, golf at First Tee

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: Biomedical engineering/ dentist

Best thing about high school: The people. My friends made the journey so much more enjoyable & helped me decompress after a stressful schedule throughout the years.

6. Meera Jamro

GPA: 7.12

Clubs/Activities: National Art Honor Society president, National English Honor Society VP, Key Club VP, NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, Rho Kappa, varsity lacrosse, basketball, varsity golf

College planning to attend: University of Florida

Planned major or future career: Biology/ pre-med

Best thing about high school: Getting the chance to play sports and join clubs, where I met some of my closest friends.

7. Raj Guntuku

GPA: 6.90

Clubs/Activities: FBLA president & district president, HOSA VP, MAO president, Speech & Debate founder & president, Senior Class secretary, Little Lives secretary, DECA treasurer, varsity tennis

College planning to attend: University of Florida Honors College

Planned major or future career: Computer science & business

Best thing about high school: All the friends I made. Without them, high school would have been a completely different experience that I just cannot imagine going through. I am forever grateful for meeting my friends

8. Ainsley Meyer

GPA: 6.88

Clubs/Activities: International Thespian Society, softball, Best Buddies, French Honor Society, NHS, Girl Scouts

College planning to attend: Savannah College of Art & Design

Planned major or future career: Film & TV

Best thing about high school: Meeting all kinds of people who love and support me.

9. Brooke Teague

GPA: 6.88

Clubs/Activities: NHS, Tri-M president, other Honor Societies, Cause for Paws Club founder & president, orchestra (first chair, violin)

College planning to attend: Univ. of South Florida

Planned major or future career: Animal Biology

10. Andrew Feaster

GPA: 6.69

Clubs/Activities: Rho Kappa, NHS, Key Club, HOSA, FBLA, Speech & Debate Club

College planning to attend: University of South Florida

Planned major or future career: Exercise Science & Kinesiology/Physical Therapist or Endocrinologist

Best thing about high school: The friendships I made, the fun times at lunch & at football games, the variety of classes I got to take, and all the teachers who supported me.

freedom high school Graduating Seniors New Tampa Seniors top 10

Gary & Jannah Return To (The All-New) Saddlebrook Resort!

Checking Out The Changes Since Mast Capital’s $92-Million Investment To Return The Resort To Its Former Glory

Gary & Jannah Nager started off a short staycation at the all-new Saddlebrook Resort with a glass of champagne in their recently redecorated two-room suite overlooking one of the completely revamped Saddlebrook golf courses. (*Photos by Charmaine George & GN)*

*Pyramid Global corporate chef James Messinger (left) and Saddlebrook GM Jeff Mayers at GOAT.*

The last time Jannah and I stayed at Saddlebrook Resort was the night we got engaged back in 2015. Our room was big, but dated and musty. The restaurants we both loved — especially Dempsey’s Steak House — were either gone or no longer worth the money. We didn’t tell anyone at the resort, but we did tell each other that this would probably be the last time we would visit Saddlebrook unless we had a very good reason to do so.

A little more than a decade later, the resort’s new ownership group — Mast Capital — has largely completed its $92-million revamping of Saddlebrook, and has finally given us that very good reason to return.

*The delicious grilled grouper at GOAT Kitchen & Bar.*

Although Jannah and I had already visited (and I reported about it in these pages more than once) the new RARE 1981 steak house multiple times, there was so much other new “stuff” to do that we decided to take a short “staycation” in one of Saddlebrook’s recently revamped rooms to check out the upgrades to the legendary Superpool and Palmhaus pool bar & restaurant, and watch a Tampa Bay Lightning game at the new GOAT (aka “Greatest Of All Time”) Kitchen & Bar, which definitely has an upscale sports bar feel but with better food than any of the chain restaurants in Wesley Chapel.

*Lorena the bartender making specialty drinks at the Palmhaus pool bar.*

The only things we didn’t get to enjoy were the resort’s now-27 holes of true championship golf — since neither of us still plays at all; I was terrible when I did play — or the new eight beautiful, new pickleball courts or the European-style Esthetics813 “The Spa at Saddlebrook.”

The good news is that everything we did do was so impressive that we surely will be back!

In the meantime, you can check out everything we enjoyed during our return trip and all of the tasting and indulging we shared.

The bottom line is that the new Saddlebrook Resort is now well worth your time and money. If you haven’t been there recently, you honestly haven’t been there at all!

*All of the carpeting & furnishings in every guest room at Saddlebrook have been updated.*

Gary & Jannah Return To Saddlebrook — & Love Everything About It!

After experiencing the RARE 1981 steak house media preview and the separate Saddlebrook Media Day, both back in Nov. 2025 (both of which I reported about extensively in our Dec. 23 issue, so you won’t see RARE photos in this feature), and the much more recent media preview of the new GOAT Kitchen & Bar, Jannah and I decided to reserve one of the resort’s fully redesigned hotel suites because we wanted to experience as much of the all-new Saddlebrook as possible for this story about everything new.

**GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Kitchen & Bar!**

I then interviewed Saddlebrook general manager Jeff Mayers to make sure I wasn’t missing anything that the resort’s new owner Mast Capital had redone as part of its $92 million makeover. Bottom line? Although you can’t really do all there is to do at Saddlebrook in one day or even an entire weekend, you can get a pretty good taste of what was once a worn out “old lady “of a resort returned to her “Grand Dame” former glory.

On these pages, I hope you’ll get enough of a feel for all there is for couples and families to savor at the all-new Saddlebrook to want to stay there yourselves, or at least have a great meal. Want more good news? If you do visit just to dine at RARE 1981, GOAT or the also-new Palmhaus pool bar, ask your server to validate your valet parking ticket (there is no more self-parking at the resort) and Mayers says your $30 valet charge will be waived!

“We have had much higher engagement and better response from both our members and the local community regarding all of the improvements,” Mayers says. “RARE 1981, in particular, has seen tremendous turnout for member events and from local residents, although GOAT and Palmhaus also have gotten great reviews.” He also told me that the number of memberships has increased significantly since the improvements have been open.

On a recent Friday afternoon, Jannah and I checked in to our completely overhauled two-bedroom, two-bath suite (one of 451 rooms at the resort) — which is bigger than some of my previous apartments. It not only had all-new carpeting and furnishings, but also new fixtures in the bathrooms, and the kitchen was full-sized, with a new freezer and ice maker, plus a full oven and four-burner cooktop, as well as a full coffeemaker (although there is also the BREW lobby café for artisanal coffee drinks and on-the-go bites). Unlike when we last stayed at the resort, everything smelled as clean and fresh as it looked. The bed was super-comfy and there were also bedside connections for electronic devices.

Our patio looked out onto the 9th hole of the newly revamped 9-hole Oak golf course, one of three 9-hole Rees Jones-designed layouts (left photo) that have replaced the two 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed original courses. The former driving range, located just inside Saddlebrook’s front gate, is gone and has been replaced by a much better driving range and putting green using some of the former golf course space.

I was told by a guy at the golf and racquet sports pro shop that both the Oak and Pine courses are completely redone and together are now about a 7,000-yard, par-72 track. The Cypress, the third nine-hole course, is still having its renovations finalized. And yes, you can still play golf (as well as tennis and pickleball) at Saddlebrook without having a membership (see info below), whether you stay over at the resort or not.

You also don’t have to be a member to play on Saddlebrook’s fabled 41 tennis courts that include every championship surface (even Wimbledon-style grass) or its eight gorgeous, new pickleball courts. You might, however, get to see some current and future tennis or golf pros training at the Saddlebrook Golf Academy, Happy Hopman Tennis Academy and Saddlebrook Preparatory School, all of which train at the resort, which also is the home of both the Professional Tennis and Professional Pickleball Registries. There’s also an amazing fitness center that resort guests can use as part of their $28 per night (per room, not per person) resort fee. And of course, there’s also the renowned Saddlebrook Superpool, now made even better by the addition of the Palmhaus Pool Bar, which also features live entertainment on the weekends. Don’t want to deal with kids running around? The resort also has an adults-only pool.

Palmhaus Pool Bar!

“The Superpool now offers DJ music on the weekends,” Mayers says, “and there are sound system enhancements being added out there.”

He adds that there already are new sound systems installed inside GOAT and RARE that have outdoor patio broadcast capabilities, “even for sporting events.”

You also don’t have to be a member or even a resort guest to indulge yourself at the Spa at Saddlebrook, also known as Esthetics813, operated by Kyymara Rose Wickiser, an Aveda Spa alum and long-time aesthetician in the Wesley Chapel area.

Kyymara says, “Esthetics813 is a premier holistic wellness and spa program. We are proud to be among only two resorts in Florida offering a fully curated, comprehensive wellness program that goes far beyond traditional spa services.” She adds that the Spa’s philosophy is “Bare-Faced Naked, which has nothing to do with the absence of makeup. It is the courageous, beautiful act of being fully comfortable and confident in who you are.”

Spa services include customized facials, therapeutic massages, body treatments, manicures and pedicures, yoga, stretch and aqua classes, guided meditation and more.

Memberships & Club

Saddlebrook offers a variety of memberships, from social to racquet sports to golf, and each membership type comes with its own set of privileges.

Mayers says that although there have been ongoing discussions about converting or replacing the building that formerly housed Dempsey’s Steak House as a private club for Saddlebrook members, “nothing has been finalized yet. But, we will provide updates as those plans solidify.”

In other words, if you last visited Saddlebrook before all of these improvements came online, you owe it to yourself to visit again. Don’t expect anything to be “cheap,” but I believe it is now well worth the money you’ll spend.

For reservations and more info about Saddlebrook Resort (5700 Saddlebrook Way), call (813) 973-1111 or visit Saddlebrook.com. To book services at Esthetics813, visit Esthetics813TheSpaatSaddlebrook.com or call (813) 474-4486. Or, see the ad below. — GN

esthetics813 GOAT Kyymara Rose Wickiser saddlebrook Saddlebrook Resort Wesley Chapel

School Is Almost Out — Can We Please Try To Drive Even More Carefully?

With the 2025-26 school year ending in just a few days, one thing that has me worried is the way people drive around our area.

We’ve all seen the speeders and people who think the shoulders on I-75 and I-275 are their personal “I have to get home faster than you” lanes. But, as if those highway issues weren’t enough, the local neighborhood roadways are now also being inundated by golf carts, electric bicycles, skateboards and scooters — and it’s clear that many parents either don’t realize, don’t understand or somehow don’t care that some of their children are riding these dangerous vehicles on the same streets as your neighbor’s Cybertrucks and high-powered sports cars.

I am not pointing fingers at anyone in particular here — we all know that many people drive too fast, don’t use turn signals, don’t stop at stop signs or at signalized intersections before turning right and are generally distracted by texting/looking at screens, eating and/or applying makeup when they drive.

But now, with children as young as 8-9 years old both on motorized vehicles and out of school — kids who clearly don’t know the rules of the road — sharing the local roadways at all hours of the day, as well as at night, as a father and grandfather, I am truly scared for all of us.

Just a few weeks ago, one Wesley Chapel family suffered the ultimate loss, as the father of a 12-year-old boy struck and killed his own son, who was riding his electric skateboard in their own neighborhood. Obstructed views from hedges were cited as a factor in the tragic accident, but when you hear of this kind of horror that anyone has to endure, it’s not about looking to blame anyone, it’s about trying to prevent the next tragedy from happening.

First of all, I honestly believe that no unlicensed young driver should be allowed to own and operate one of these motorized vehicles without first having to complete an extensive safety course — with their family members, so everyone is aware of the sometimes difficult-to-follow rules governing each different type of these vehicles. I’m not talking about an online course. I’m talking about something in person, with law enforcement officials at least providing the rules if not the actual training, so that every kid who is given the ability to go 10-25 miles per hour — or more — on any kind of motorized vehicle understands the potential for tragedy they have beneath them.

We’ve already published stories about how the insurance industry is now having to deal with writing policies for these vehicles, many of which didn’t exist just a few years ago, but here are a couple of those stats again:

• E-Scooter injuries soared by 80% from 2020-24, from less than 30,000 to more than 115,000.

• E-Bike injuries rose from just 1,600 in 2018 to 23,000+ in 2022

Since standard auto and homeowner’s policies don’t include coverage for motorized bikes and scooters, thousands of claims have been denied. These vehicles are also 2.5 times more likely to be stolen than cars, with an estimated $1.4 billion in annual bicycle theft losses.

But, it’s not about the monetary cost. It’s about losing someone you love, especially a child, to something so senseless.

I’m fine with it if you disagree, if you say that kids should have their freedom, too. That’s easy to say until it’s your child who pays the ultimate price.

All I can say is that if you’re not going to be extra careful, especially now that school is about to be let out and the number of these new motorized threats sharing the road with already-distracted drivers is about to skyrocket, you’re literally asking for more tragedy to affect someone else’s family…or your own.

So, please drive carefully…and please talk to your kids about the very real dangers.

driving e scooter editorial safe driving scooter

Gabe Hassan Remembered At Bench Dedication Event

The Wharton High Grad Has A Bench At New Tampa Rec Center Dedicated In His Honor & Memory

The family of Wharton High graduate Gabe Hassan poses for a picture with the bench and plaque memorializing Gabe at the New Tampa Recreation Center that was unveiled at a dedication ceremony on May 8. Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera (photo below) championed the honor for Gabe, who passed away at the age of 17 from complications related to Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. ***(Photos by City of Tampa photographer Adam Wade)***

District 7 Tampa City Council member and New Tampa resident Luis Viera has led a lot of efforts to help the people in all areas of his district.

Very few of those efforts have been as personally important to him as the event that took place at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms on May 8, when Viera and the city’s Parks & Recreation Department unveiled a small plaque on a bench in the playground just outside the Rec Center dedicated in honor and memory of Gabriel (Gabe) Hassan.

Gabe is the Wharton High graduate who passed away in early 2024 at age 17 (less than two weeks after receiving his diploma from Wharton in his hospital room) from complications related to Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, a rare genetic form of leukemia affecting the bone marrow, exocrine pancreas and skeleton.

Viera admits that he was on a mission to find a way to honor and remember Gabe and was happy to be able to have the bench dedicated in his memory. He said that because it was only a bench dedication, not a renaming of a portion of the park, like with the Harrison Boonstoppel dedication we reported about a couple of issues ago, he did not have to have City Council vote to make this dedication happen.

“I was able to do it administratively,” Viera said. “But, I did make a presentation to Council, and had Gabe’s parents, Mahmoud and Carolyn Hassan, attend that meeting last October to show their support for the idea.”

The Dedication

“We’re here to honor the legacy of a young man who left us too soon,” Viera said as he opened the dedication event on May 8. “There are some hurts in life that no person should ever have to go through, but some people do go through them. And, they hurt in places that we didn’t know exist. When you undergo that pain, you’re tested in ways that you never knew, but so are your friendships and so is your family and so is your faith. And I can tell you the Hassan family, [their] friendships and faith have been tested.

“But, just look at all of the diverse people here today — Muslim brothers and sisters, Christian brothers and sisters, the State of Florida (State House Minority Leader, Dist. 67 Rep. Fentrice Driskell was on hand), Hillsborough County Public Schools (Dist. 3 School Board member and New Tampa resident Jessica Vaughn also was in attendance), the City of Tampa, Jewish brothers and sisters…all coming here to support them. That’s what this moment is truly all about.

“Gabe was a young man who was truly exceptional. He would undergo some terrible struggles in his life and he would meet them with characteristics that were truly God-given because he was a child of God created with resiliency and strength…the kind of resiliency and strength that comes from being raised by a good mom and a good dad and [being] loved by a family.

“And I have no doubt that when Gabe went through his struggles, he would remember not only the strength from his creator, but also the lessons and values that were imparted to him day by day, by the love given to him by his mother, his father and his entire family.

“He was a young man of achievement who, despite all of his struggles, would get a 4.7 GPA at Wharton High School. And he was an Eagle Scout. That means something. It’s about integrity, character and patriotism. It’s about love of your community.

“His parents speak of a young man who loved his community deeply with all of his heart.

“And he was a young man who believed in his faith, who was raised unapologetically a believer of the Muslim faith, passed down from his parents, from their parents and from their parents and so on. He reached into that faith during his darkest times, [during] his deepest hits.

“There’s a saying, ‘My feet are tired, but my soul is well-rested.’ But sometimes, your soul isn’t well rested, especially when you have these tremendous hits. It’s on everybody here to support this family and to always check up on them.”

Up next was Gabe’s Scoutmaster, long-time New Tampa resident Dave Thompson, who said, “I’ve spent the last week with hundreds of thoughts about what to say.

“I’m not here to mourn the passing of a young man. I’m here to celebrate the life of a young friend — a life of compassion, service, curiosity and determination, something his mom would call ‘stubborn.’

“But, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him and his family for over twelve years, from the time he joined my Cub Pack 280 at Turner- Bartels to the time he crossed over to our Scout Troop 148, and Gabe was a daily inspiration to me. Despite his physical challenges, Gabe was a happy soul. He never whined or complained about his situation, it was all just part of his reality.

“He was always there whenever anyone needed him. As one of our older Scouts, if a younger Scout was having challenges with setting up the tent on a campout, Gabe was the first one to show him how to do it and help him put it together. The younger Scouts often sought him out when they had questions, because Gabe was always approachable. He was there whenever we had service projects to complete, whether it was a food drive for the food pantry, raising a fence at the church, painting classrooms at Wharton or upgrading the playground at Quail Hollow Elementary.

“And, even while in the hospital, Gabe, through his determination, completed his studies to graduate from high school and finish the requirements for his Eagle Scout. Many of us in that situation would’ve just given up. Not Gabe. I don’t think that ever occurred to him. It just wasn’t in his nature.

“One of my favorite memories was when I was driving three of the Scouts back from an event. One was Jewish, one was Catholic and one was Gabe. The boys were carrying on a conversation, talking about their faiths…just a beautiful conversation, talking about the similarities and differences. There was no arguing or fighting, each was just teaching a little bit about themselves to the others.

“And I thought about how nice it would be if all of us could share thoughts and ideas like this. And that was Gabe, caring and sharing.

“It’s been two years, but not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. I still hear him in my mind saying, ‘Hey, Mr. Dave.’ I have a lot of good memories of him.

“And now that this bench is here, I’ll be visiting occasionally, just to sit and talk with my friend, because I know he’ll be listening.”

And finally, Mahmoud Hassan thanked Viera and the Parks & Rec Dept. for dedicating the bench “in honor of our son Gabriel.

“Dear Gabriel, we love you so much and we admire the amazing but short life you lived. Mom and I always called you our ‘Sunshine Baby, because Gabriel was born on May 10, 2006, on a beautiful, sunny day.

“As we commemorate you and dedicate this bench in your honor, it is still a beautiful, sunny day.

“You radiance illuminates us with precious memories and how loving you were to us and how much we dearly loved you. This Sunday would have been your 20th birthday, and although sunny days are ahead, your passing has left us with the darkness and gloom that still causes us to cry and lament your unfortunate passing.

“You have visited your Dad in dreams and I feel your warmth and caress during my prayers. You are with our Lord now and I get a sense of serenity that you are in comfort and peace as you await your family to one day join you.

“We are so proud of your accomplishments and we look at your pictures in awe of how bright, kind and noble you were. One of the things I admire most about you, Gabriel, was your bravery. You were not shy about approaching strange situations, or speaking to people.

*Gabriel & Mahmoud Hassan* ***(Photo provided by Luis Viera)***

“Most of all, you faced your own death with peace and understanding that you will meet God. I can only hope and pray that I will be as brave as you when my time comes.

“Gabriel had said, ‘There is no power, verily, than that which God provides.’

“Gabriel was at peace. He prayed with me, and he knew that the end was coming, and I talked to him peacefully about that. And although I expected him to shake with fear, a calmness and serenity was with him that I can not describe in words. When you’re in that state, and you have a connection with your higher power, with God, God puts that serenity in you…and he was glowing with that serenity. I will never forget that glow he had that day.

“We miss your laughter, your silliness, your voice, as well as your warm embrace. Mom, Sophia (Gabe’s sister) and I are still struggling to make it through each day, and we wish you were still here with us.

“Your new baby brother, Ibrahim, is a shining light and a precious gift from God. And, when he was born, I felt your presence protecting him. I know you are watching over him and I feel your love for him…until you eventually meet one another.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you and the impact you had on our lives. You are my first-born son, and one of the strongest shining lights in our lives. I still miss you very dearly, and I will always love you, dear Gabriel.

“I hope that this bench brings comfort and peace to our community members who come by this park and need a place to sit and relax.

“I want to thank the [city] officials, and the Parks & Recreation director (Ted Fowler), for dedicating this honor (photo below) to him.

“And most of all, I just want to say that, as a father, this is one of the deepest tragedies I’ve ever faced. But, every day, you inspire me, dear Gabriel, to keep striving on. I don’t get lost in despair, but rather, I get moved by hope when I think of this. Thank you all again for coming.”

Bench Dedication Carolyn Hassan Gabe Hassan Luis Viera Mahmoud Hassan New Tampa