As children across the country celebrate the lives of their mothers today, four youngsters in Longdenville can only celebrate memories they have of the woman who gave birth to them.
The Mascall children, Samantha, 16; Shania, 13; Stephen, ten; and Andrew, three, lost their mother Donna in an accident on April 12.
Donna Mascall, her husband Anthony, and Andrew were asleep in their rented Palmiste Main Road, Longdenville, home around 1 am when a car burst into the room and landed on top of them. Anthony remains warded at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, as doctors are still trying to reconstruct his left foot which was badly burnt. Andrew, who suffered minor burns to his forehead and arms, was treated and later discharged.
However, little Andrew has refused to believe his mother is not coming home. In an interview yesterday, Andrew’s aunt Susan Singh recounted his actions last Sunday.
“We had a little family get-together and he kept going up to people and asking if they had seen his mother pass by,” said Singh. “He still thinks she will come back home.”
Even more troubling to the family are complaints by Samantha and Shania that they have been verbally abused since they returned to classes at the Caraphichaima West Secondary.
“Since they start back school two weeks ago they say other children keep insulting them about their mother. One of them said some children recognised her from the newspaper photos and have been harassing her ever since.”
Singh said she would be taking up the matter with school officials.
“It is very unfair to them, they just lost their mother. I am not going to sit by and let them be abused. Children should not be doing these things to them.”
The family will gather for lunch and a small remembrance ceremony for Donna today.