Grieving mother who lost three of her children in a horrific car crash is named as mother of the year
- A grieving mother who lost three children in a crash last year has been honored
- Lelia Abdallah has been named mother of the year after horror crash in February
- She has now dedicated the award to all women grieving the loss of their child
The Sydney woman who lost three-of-her-six children when they were killed by a drunk and drugged driver has been named as mother of the year.
Lelia Abdallah and her husband Danny inspired others by forgiving the driver who mowed down their children and niece in February last year.
Ms Abdallah has now dedicated her award to all women grieving the loss of a child.
Grieving Sydney mother-of-six Leila Abdullah, who lost three of her children in a horrific car crash last year, has been named as mother of the year
Lelia Abdallah and her husband Danny (pictured) inspired others by forgiving the driver who mowed down their children and niece in February last year
‘I’d like to dedicate the award to all the bereaved mothers out there,’ she told Sydney radio 2GB on Thursday.
‘A lot of people have been inspired and touched with the forgiveness and they were able to forgive in their own family and accept their grief,’ she said.
‘Kids are the biggest joy any parents can have,’ she said.
The Abdullah children Antony, Angelina and Sienna, and their cousin Veronique Sakr were on their way to buy ice cream when a car mounted the footpath, killing them.
Three other children survived the crash but one was so badly injured he suffered permanent brain damage and now needs help for performing basic tasks.
Mrs Abdallah (pictured, left) said she dedicates the award to ‘all bereaved mothers out there’
Siblings Sienna Abdallah, eight, Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13 and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, lost their lives in the horror crash
Davidson, a professional truck driver, was given a 25 per cent discount to his sentence for pleading guilty to manslaughter and three charges for the injuries caused to three other children.
He was sitting poolside with his housemates drinking Vodka Cruisers and beers, having his first drink about 7am before taking drugs and getting behind the wheel on the day of the fatal crash.
The two families involved responded by forgiving the man behind the wheel and launching i4give Day, to be held every year on the anniversary of the deaths of the children.
Danny Abdallah (right) and wife Leila (left) are seen outside court after the man responsible for fatally crashing into their children was jailed for 21 years
Just last week the Abdallah family were again devastated by a break-in at their western Sydney home, with valuable keepsakes of their children, including a phone with photos were stolen.
The national mother of the year awards are decided by a Christian organisation FamilyVoice Australia, after the charity Barnardos ended its association with the award.
Young mother of the year is 16-year-old Adrielle Van Hassel and grandmother of the year is Anthea Adams who has nine children and 21 grandchildren.
Siblings Sienna Abdallah, eight, Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13 perished in the fatal crash in February last year
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