(The following open letter was written by Rob Zazaluk, one of Kathleen’s brothers).
In 1968 Didsbury for me was a great place. Like any teenager, school, friends, music and summer weekends were what I remember most.
The tragedy that struck our family was very difficult, but the people around us gently carried us all through it – the kindness, caring and support given by the Didsbury residents will always be remembered by our entire family.
I've often put myself in the driver's shoes and realized that the instant that this happened, that person's day became a nightmare and it scared him.
He was scared for many reasons. He realized that maybe he should have been more careful going through the intersection. He may have thought that the little girl on the bike would stop. He didn't for a second think that she would run into the side of the truck. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. In that instant he realized that he had a decision to make, one that would impact him and everyone around him.
The accident had happened and as much as he would like to, there was nothing he could do to reverse it. He was scared and hoped and prayed that she would be OK but needed to escape this nightmare that was unfolding. He drove on because he was scared, not because he didn't care. He was scared for his own family and what was going to happen to them if he stopped and took responsibility for what he did. What would people think of him?
Maybe he had a reputation for being a bit of an aggressive driver and people would not look kindly on what he did. He chose self-preservation for himself and those around him. He would have followed the news reports hoping that the little girl would be OK but when he learned that she died that day, he realized that he could never come forward. He couldn't face up to having to explain why. There are a great number of people that would condemn his actions on that day, as I did for many years, but if you put yourself in the other person's shoes you can get some of the answers.
I think after 50 years, it's time for him to tell me I'm right and that it wasn't because he didn't care, he was just scared. Tell me I'm right and end your nightmare. I know you haven't forgotten that day.
All of us know what the impact is when we lose a loved one. All of us also know how difficult life can be if we are somehow responsible when another person gets hurt.
In my 30 years of working in the RCMP I've witnessed many unfortunate incidents similar to these. The news is full of these accounts but life needs to and does go on; we forgive and adjust.
I've also learned that events are rarely as we imagine but once all the information is collected, and analyzed logically, a true picture emerges.
Sometimes forgiveness is much easier when the event in question is fully explained. It's easier to forgive when you understand what and why it happened. Forgiveness must be given -- it cannot be asked for, so please know that forgiveness has been in our hearts for a very long time. Perhaps this was our little sister's mission, perhaps our God sent her purposefully to teach us about forgiveness and love. All of us have a mission in life.
Your name is not important, the kind of person you were back then and who you are today may have drastically changed and we are hopeful that the change was for the better.
The most important part though is that you know that we have forgiven you and that you should find peace from this message. None of us can undo the past.
