Oatlands victim’s mother sets out to give tragedy ‘some greater purpose’
The mother of one of the children killed in a horrific crash that shook the nation has set out on a personal mission to help others through their own trauma.
Antony Abdallah, 13, his sisters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 9, and cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking to buy ice-cream on a Saturday night in February when a 4WD mounted the kerb and struck the children in Oatlands, near Parramatta.
The drunk driver, 29-year-old Samuel Davidson, pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter, but the Abdallah and Sakr family shocked the country when they forgave the man who killed their kids.
Veronique’s mother Bridget Sakr has now created an online platform called ‘HeartFELT’ to host faith-based conversations with others experiencing grief and trauma.
She told Deborah Knight the initiative will honour her daughter and her cousins’ lives and “make this tragedy have some greater purpose”.
“I was always raised to know that in life, it is about being kind and forgiving, and caring, and serving.
“Those values instilled in me growing up has made me want to be able to … help others who have gone through what we’ve gone through.
“After I get off that call Deborah, I just really feel completely satisfied that I’ve actually contributed to some sort of healing, even momentarily, in other people’s pain.”
Click PLAY below to hear the full interview
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