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Victim impact 3 36 WATER ST., PORT PERRY, ONT. LIL1J2 EDITORIALS court statement (Editor's Note: The following is the victim impact statement by Bernice Avis of Blackstock, that was read into the court record last Friday at the sentencing of the driver who killed her son Andy in a head on crash last Thanksgiving Day). _It'has been five months now since Andrew's death on Thanksgiving Day. I'm not going to go into details of his car accident because I have to re-live that night every day, all I can see is Andrew lying on the stretcher in the emergency department of Lindsay Hospital and havi to identify him by looking for birthmarks, Bears or any other marks. ) You see, every bone in*Andrew's face was broken and his face was swollen to twice its size, He had blood | THANKS TO THE LOWER TAX ON. "CGS TM ABLE TO GIVE MORE TO THE. CANCER SOCIETY THIS out of his eyes, ears, mouth and from cuts on his head. That's the last thing I see every night when I go to bed. It's one continuous nightmare and sleep never comes easy now, if at all. Andrew and I had a special mother/son relationshi he was never afraid to let it show. I remember at his grade 8 graduation, all the students had to dance the first dance with their mother or father. Most boys refused or disappeared so they wouldn't have to dance with their mothers, but Andrew didn't hesitate to ask me. I have a picture on my dresser of Andrew and I dancing a slow dance together at his father's 40th birthday party. We did a lot of things together. We would go shopping at the mall whether it was for a new ball glove, hockey stick or some kind of sports equipment for Andrew or a dress for myself for a party. We enjoyed each other's company and valued each other's opinion. We made a point of going to the Water Park and Wonderland every summer. We both loved the waterslides and rollercoasters. He had a sense of humour that couldnt be matched, and a smile that could melt |: your heart and it usually worked in his faveur when it came to asking me for something. One year I promised his. dad that; I wouldn't his ball team which I had done for the last four summéts, but Andrew came to me with some of his friends and asked me to reconsider - and my promise to his father went out the door, Whenever I was down for any reason he was always there to listen or shed a tear with me and tell me "everything would be alright mem" and give me a big hug: No matter what, that hug always made me feel better. Andrew always made me proud to be his mother. He wasn't perfect, but he was mine. These afy the things 1 miss the most. J 'Now all I have is time. Time to think, time tos remember. The guilty feeling that there must have been something I could have done to prevent what happened. I know it was out of my hands but I guess that a mother's love for her child is so great that instinct tells her to love and protect and I feel that I let him down somewhere; I <| get lots of re-assurance from family, friends, councillors and even from Andrew's friends who come by the house just to say "Hi mom, how are you?" But there is still that empty space that only Andrew could fill. Now all I have left are the memories followed by tears that never stop. : 'This is what I will remember every Thanksgiving Day for the rest of my life. The only thing I have tobe for now is that God gave mb the privilege of pand |. [having Andrew as my son for 17 years. Must not deny kids right to Erench Immersion To the Editor: In Yes, 1 can agree with. Mr. 'Whi over bringing French Immersion to Brock Township. Do we as parents try to prevent our child from forming his first word, taking his first step or voicing his first thought? Do we as educators try to limit the child's potential through discouragement of the child's thirst for discovery of all things unexperienced? Are we as parents not also educators? Would we as both sparents and educators limit deliberately opportunities that could be readily available to our children? (Letter to Editor-: 29 March 94) in that there are two standards of to the north and south of Durham Region and yes everything should be equal. "Do we not begin to effect change by bulding a foundation for that Should rh immersion not them such an opportunity. 'We must look beyond what was available for us and open our arms to embrace the 21st Century. Only in this can we prepare our children for the cruelly and increasingly competitive world that lies ahead in their adulthood. 4 For me, this is the only path that I can follow with,a clear : As o> be part of this foundation? Do we as parents and educators have the right to deny our children an ty to be a part of this change for the better? ' lTasa parent and my child's initial educator have neither the The recent y over French immersion coming to Brock Township has sparked some Alarming thoughts and questions for o la thinan "Elitist Programma?? that this choice , gd i is too aggressive given the progression of our sadness. .- of the level to which the dard of educati ge nor the heart to deny past exp has taught me, that opportunity will seldom knock twice. The moment is here-it is but for us to have the courage to seize 1 . Sincerely, ming Palliative Care - : training courses dik Bailiativa, Care Services (soon to be called Hospice pei dge ) in this d to | This course is for townahip Has: boon 11 We ha ni 's have an opportunity to )Y take part in changes standard up whould like to work with terminally ill individuals and a un tan ® multi. discipinary team approach involved when someone is Sern 0 evden 30 who © / arrangements, emotional responses and attitudes when facing death, communication skills, understanding family dynamics, spirituality and the care of the dying, grief and and. stress funeral management. 'The course will be held from Apul 35 40 June 20, fromm Tour to 9:30pm at Port Perry Community Memorial Hospital, Please call 852-4461 for further information or to register. Betty Bignell ©