WIMAUMA, Fla. — The children of a survivor are sharing their mother's story to raise awareness for others, hoping to save lives.
Her daughter, Vanessa Anello, reached out to us explaining how several months ago, a man tried to rape her mother and then kill her.
WATCH: "Trust your gut": Family shares mother’s survival after brutal attack by co-worker
The message detailed how her mother almost lost her life at the hands of a coworker.
On April 13, Linda Espino's life changed forever.
"It's kind of like something you see in movies, or you see on TV shows," said Adam Gonzalez, Linda's son. "So it was just really shocking to me to see that it actually happened to my own mother."
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said just before 6 p.m. that night, they responded to a home in Wimauma about a woman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Vanessa and Adam said that on the day of the attack, Linda’s co-worker of more than three years called her asking for help mounting a television — which she later learned was in his bedroom.
"She said, 'Let's open the door so we can get this dresser out of here,'" said Vanessa while choking back tears. "And then at that point he pulled the gun out, and on her."
She couldn't hold back the tears while opening up about how the coworker tried to rape her mom.
"He told her that he was a virgin, and he did not want to die a virgin," said Vanessa.
Vanessa said her mom managed to convince him to put the gun down, run to the bathroom, and hide. He then fired at the bathroom door…
"At least 40 times," said Vanessa. "We only know that because that's how many shell casings that the police took into evidence."
Once he eventually broke down the door, Vanessa said he shot her mom in the stomach, arms, and legs.
In that moment, Vanessa said, her mom played dead to try to survive…
"At that point, he pressed the gun to her head, I guess, to test if she was still alive," said Vanessa.
He walked away, and Hillsborough County officials said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
And Linda survived.
She was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, where she fought to live for over a month.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone work as hard as my mother did," said Adam.
"She's very tough," said Vanessa. "My mom knows how to fight. She knows how to take care of herself."
Looking back on the situation, her family said there were red flags. Vanessa said the co-worker would call her mom constantly and had even followed her to Florida from Chicago — moving into the same neighborhood as her aunt in Wimauma.
"He used to call her for hours on end during work hours and and just try to talk to her, and I always thought that was weird," said Vanessa.
Now, their family's message to others is clear: trust your instincts.
"If you get a bad feeling about somebody, if you have a red flag, or you know a gut instinct, you need to follow that, especially as a woman," said Vanessa.
Vanessa's mother is still working on recovering physically and mentally. Her family has created a GoFundMe page to help cover the medical bills. You can find it here.
For anyone trying to recover from a traumatic experience, the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay can offer support.
And remember, if you or someone you know needs immediate help, you can call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
There are some truly inspiring people who call the Tampa Bay area home. People who overcome odds that others could not even imagine. Tampa Bay 28 anchor Lauren St. Germain met a woman who is doing just that, as she competes at an international level after 2 life-saving lung transplants.
