It was Saturday, February 1, 2020, and in a split second, Leila Abdallah lost half of her six children to a ute driven by a drunk and drugged driver in Oatlands, Sydney.
More than two years later, Mrs Abdallah remains torn between two worlds, two moments, two lives.
On March 18, 2022, she and husband, Danny, welcomed a seventh child and Mrs Abdallah spoke to Sylva Mezher, Executive Producer at SBS Arabi24, .
Mrs Abdallah said she and Danny were hopeful their newborn would give new purpose to their surviving children Liana, 12, Alex, 7, and Michael, 5, and mark a joyous new chapter for the family as a whole.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I asked Liana to name the new baby and she said we should combine the names of her late sisters, Angelina and Sienna, so we called her Selena,” Mrs Abdallah said.
"Her middle name is Angelina in honor of my eldest daughter.”
Anthony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, were riding their bikes with their cousin Veronique Saqr, 11, on a footpath in Oatlands, northwest of Sydney, when they were hit by a Mitsubishi Triton ute.
Three other children were also struck and one now lives with a permanent brain injury.
Driver Samuel William Davidson, 31, who ran over children under the influence of alcohol and substances, was convicted of four counts of manslaughter and is serving a 21-year prison sentence with no possibility of parole.
Earlier this month, Davidson’s lawyers launched an appeal of the sentence as "excessive" through the NSW Criminal Court of Appeal.
At the time, Mr and Mrs Abdallah stunned Australia and the world when they announced that they had forgiven Davidson, because the real killer, as they said, was a "culture of drugs and alcohol."
"Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. Our four children are now our four saints and this day is theirs," Mrs Abdallah said.
"My children who died have not become more precious than my living children."
Mrs Abdallah said her surviving children were her “hope and goal in life”.
Chris and Michael Abdullah with baby Selena. Source: Leila Abdallah
"I tell my children that God blessed us because he took three saints from them to Heaven. I talk about dying in a positive way so they don't feel broken,” Mrs Abdallah said.
She said the lockdowns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic had been “a blessing because it allowed me to focus on my children and spend more time with them".
She said that she had apologised to her children for being away from them in the period following the tragic incident.
I lost my children, but they also lost their siblings. The experience was just as hard for them.
"I told my kids, you have the right to live and laugh. Don't feel guilty for being happy," Mrs Abdallah said.
With the memory of those they lost alive in their hearts, the Abdallah family opted for life, finding a reason to celebrate every day.
At the family's new home in Oatlands, Mrs Abdallah said she kept space on the wall for a photo that would feature her entire family, including her late children.
"I have seven kids - three in Heaven and four on Earth. I will not separate them for as long as I'm alive," she said.
The power Mrs Abdallah discovered within her became an inspiration to many in her community after her story aired in every Australian home.
In May 2021, she was named "Mother of the Year", which she said she shared with every woman who had ever lost a child.
"Children are the biggest joy parents can have," she said.
The Abdallahs' Facebook page is followed by more than 50,000 people and includes videos, articles and posts documenting important moments in family life.
The Abdallah family, whose three children were killed by a drunk driver, has welcomed a baby daughter into the world. Source: Leila Abdallah
"I gave my life to God," Mrs Abdallah said while rocking newborn Selena to sleep.
The Abdallah family has been negotiating with Parramatta Council for a permanent memorial to be built in honour of the four young lives lost in the February 2020 crash.
