Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49, was a mother to 11 children, beat cancer twice and often went dancing at the Pulse nightclub with her son.
She was at the nightclub with her son, Isaiah Henderson, on June 12, 2016. He survived the shooting, but McCool did not.
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Henderson said his mother risked her life to save him by telling him to get down while she shielded him from the bullets.
"Brenda Marquez was a beautiful person. She always looked out for her kids, and she lost her life protecting one of them," said one of McCool's relatives at her memorial service.
Outside that service, dozens of bikers from the Latin American Motorcycle Association gathered to protect the family from protesters.
They said McCool participated in their events, cookouts and other gatherings. Now, they wanted to show their support.
"Everybody's been looking out for one another," a family member said. "Everybody's been supporting one another. Orlando is Orlando."
