Date: 16 December 2013
Last November 30th, just over two weeks ago, we would have been celebrating Sebastian’s 28th birthday, Sebastian’s death altered our lives like nothing else could. It has been a long road for us. We have had to learn to live without him, and to adapt to not being able to see him, talk to him, or love him. We have had to give up our dream of seeing him have his own family. Not only that, but our dreams of having his love and support as we grow older are no longer possible. His life was cut short, and the quality of ours reduced immensely. Words cannot describe the emptiness and the unbearable sense of finality that his absence has left us with.
But after four years and five months, we have learned to cope. We have learned to live with just memories of Sebastian rather than his presence. We have found a way to cherish the 23 years that we had with our son and brother instead of despairing over the time that we will not get to have with him. Sebastian left an empty space that nothing and nobody will ever fill, but our daily work and the help and support of friends have helped us. We understand that we have the responsibility and the duty to continue living as best as we can, because this is the only way to honour Sebastian’s memory.
Today, regardless of what our feelings are about the plea, we are grateful, because we believe that this will bring closure to this incredibly painful part of our lives, and we hope that we will be able to continue the healing process without worrying everyday about what comes next. We would like to thank the police, the case investigators, the Crown Attorneys and the Victim/Witness Assistance Programme for their work on the case and for their help and support throughout our ordeal.
Finally, we have no feelings of hatred. We hope that the young man that took Sebastian’s life, who has a family too, will find it in himself to reflect on the terrible impact of his actions. We also have faith in the Canadian justice system and, most of all; we have faith in God and in His divine justice.
