Abdallah family who lost three children to drunk driver’s horror rampage welcome their eighth child – and receive a call from a surprising well wisher

The family who lost three children in a horrific car crash that saw a drunk and drugged driver drive onto the sidewalk have welcomed their eighth child, who they call “a miracle baby.”

Western Sydney couple Danny and Leila Abdallah gave birth to a healthy baby girl on April 20, their second baby since the horrific accident that claimed the lives of three of their children on February 1, 2020.

Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were hit by a car that drove onto a footpath and mowed down the children as they went to buy ice cream in the north-west suburb of Oatlands. from Sydney.

Amazingly, the devout Christian Abdallahs said they had forgiven the driver responsible, Samuel Davidson, who converted to the family’s Maronite Catholicism in prison and had now sent them congratulations on the new birth.

Mr Abdallah says he speaks regularly with Davidson and Davidson’s parents and has accepted congratulations from both parties following the birth of his new daughter, who has yet to be named.

“There are no winners in this tragedy, in any tragedy, so all we can do is show forgiveness, move forward in the best way possible and try to find joy in the midst of the pain,” Abdallah told the newspaper . Daily telegram.

“Samuel’s parents called me and congratulated me on the new baby and I said thank you.

‘The driver called me from prison the next day and congratulated him and said he was thinking of us. I told him he and his family are in my prayers.”

Ms Abdallah said the unplanned pregnancy came as a shock and that it was two dreams of Antony and Angelina in the same week that informed her of the ‘miracle baby’.

Ms Abadallah presented Selena to Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who was allegedly stabbed in his church earlier this month

The Abdallahs gave birth to their seventh child on March 18, 2022, who they named Selena, combining the names of the two sisters she would never know Angelina and Sienna.

The couple said that with the new baby they are waiting for the perfect name, which may not be derived from their previous children.

“It’s hard when you lose children, you remember them and honor them, but for a living child that can be a lot of pressure to live up to,” Abdallah said.

In a recent Instagram post, Ms Abadallah presented Selena to Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who was reportedly stabbed while delivering a sermon at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Sydney’s western suburb of Wakeley on April 15.

“We are confident that Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel has forgiven his attacker, following the message of forgiveness that defines our beliefs,” Ms Abadallah captioned the photo.

‘Our hearts go out to him. Let us come together in prayer for Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.”

Unlike Mr. Abdallah, who has developed a relationship with Davidson, Ms. Abdallah has not yet seen him in prison but says she plans to do so once the family settles in after the latest arrival.

Davidson, who was 29 at the time of the fatal accident, was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison, with a minimum of 15 years in 2021.

Mr Abdallah’s children, Antony, (far left) Angelina, 12, (far right) Sienna, eight, (centre left) and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, walked along a footpath to buy ice cream in Oatlands, in the west of Sydney. when they were hit by a car and killed on February 1, 2020

After Selena’s birth, Abdallah posted on Instagram that he and his wife had forgiven Davidson “for the greater good of our living children.”

‘Our decision allowed us to have another child.

‘I took my daughter out to dinner on Sunday evening and talked to her about the past two years and her new sister.

“We cannot change what has happened to us, but we can certainly make the right choices to minimize the trauma we have experienced, which has been passed on to our children,” he wrote.

“Always remember: ‘Raising children is contagious, they do what you do, not what you say.'”

Mr Abdallah said these words still apply.

“It’s how you pick up the thread, move forward and lead by example so that your children know how to behave in the midst of the hardships ahead,” he said.

Abdallah said he and his wife had forgiven the driver who killed their three children for the sake of their siblings

The Abdallah family founded the i4Give day foundation in 2023, with a mission to “raise community awareness of the power of forgiveness to transform human relationships and provide resilience for human flourishing.”

The festival should become an annual event full of fairground attractions, live performances and an open-air film to end the day.