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"We just have to move forward and find a way to keep their hearts beating and keep their spirit alive and we're not going to let them take this away from us."
Barbara Poma opened Pulse almost 13 years ago in honor of her late brother, who was gay and died from complications of AIDS, intending it to be a safe haven for Orlando's LGBT community. She chose the name "because it has to do with your heartbeat, it has to do with your life, and we just wanted to keep the heartbeat alive."
After the horrific events of this past weekend, Poma plans to rebuild the nightclub as a tribute to those who lost their lives, the survivors, and the loved ones affected by the tragedy.
"We just have to move forward and find a way to keep their hearts beating and keep their spirit alive and we're not going to let them take this away from us," Poma told Matt Lauer on Today.
"I will not let hate win. We will heal together," Poma said in a statement she read to NBC.
"It's not to just honor my brother anymore. It is to honor all the families affected. It is to honor the true spirit of Orlando. Pulse will always continue to be the heartbeat of Orlando."
