I have seen your video about her sweet sixtinen and it touched me really, in my heart, I have lost my brother in law in a motorcycle accident, and I know your situation.
All my things are going to you. Take Care, and Believe in God ... He would want her near Him, a better worl for a pretty girl .
I'm so so so sorry for my English, Because I'm Frenc, so that's difficult for me, to exprimate myself in an ther language .
I will never forget Sara's thirteenth birthday, five years ago. She was so excited to be going to Disney World and staying at the Fort Wilderness campgrounds in a cabin. Sara, Jamie, little sister Laura and I laughed and ate pints of icecream each while laying in our bunk beds, and enjoyed the carefree nature of being young. Sara was so eager to show Jamie and I around the campground, and to rent a golfcart to drive around. We went to the Magic Kingdom, and I remember that Sara despised the "Its a Small World" ride, but she agreed to go anyways to please the rest of us. Sara was always putting others before herself because she had a genuinely good heart. One night, we had dinner at the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Review, and when they asked for a volunteer to come on stage Sara jumped out of her seat and waved her arms in the air, screaming and pointing to me. Sara and I enjoyed making mini-movies and music videos together on her video camera and always told me I should be an actress. Her flailing arms and yells captured the attention of the Disney workers, and I was indeed chosen to go on stage and wear a Can-Can dress and perform a short skit. Sara was always so encouraging and supportive. It was the smallest things on that trip to Disney - like being fascintated by a peacock that roamed around the campground, or going swimming in the middle of the night - that really made the trip amazing. Running around Disney attempting to get pictures with as many characters as possible, dressing up for dinners, and eating beach buckets filled with icecream at Typhoon Lagoon, and swimming with sharks. Sara was such a great friend, with a contagious laugh. Her silly jokes and imatations always put a smile on the face of everyone around her. A natural cheerleader, she was always so energetic, full of life, and encouraging. She really inspired those around her with her support and optimism.
Happy 18th Birthday Sweetheart! / Jessica Moore (Family Friend ) Sara it's hard to believe you would be 18 today! I still can't believe Jamie is 18... I just hope you are having a beautiful birthday celebration in heaven! I know you are still with all of your loved ones at heart! Keep smiling Sara because it helps everyone get through these rough days! Love you always! xoClose
Happy 18th Birthday Angel! / Jamie Moore (Best Friend )
Sara I love you so much! I hope you are having a beautifulo birthday in Heaven! Thank you for always sticking by my side, I know you are watching over me! You will always be my friend! I'm always praying for you! Close
Happy Birthday Precious Angel Sara xxx / Delia Allan Tomlin's Mum Read >>
Happy Birthday Precious Angel Sara xxx / Delia Allan Tomlin's Mum Close
Happy Birthday / David (none)
I was driving to work this morning and out of the blue I started thinking about you and your mom. I hadn't visited your site in awhile and for some reason today I felt compelled to. I was amazed when I came to your site and realized that today was your birthday. I haven't e-mailed your mom in awhile but I will soon. but most importantly I want to wish you a very very happy 18th Birthday. Close
18th Birthday / Aunt June (Aunt)
Sara I want to wish you a Happy 18th birthday. I want to let you know that I miss you more and more each day. I especially miss your beautiful smile, your kindness even to strangers, and the love you had for your family and friends. It is so hard to think you will not be going to your prom, graduation, and college but I know that you are in a better place so that gets me through my day. I love you so much. Have a great celebration my sweet angel. Close
happy birthday <3 / Rebecca Farina (best friends with laura )Read >>
happy birthday <3 / Rebecca Farina (best friends with laura )
sara,i can not explain how much your missed,its almost your 18th birthday and laura and me are going to do something special for you,i have never met you but your sister is my bestfriend,and i know you know who i am because u visted me and laura once and u visted me in my dreams twice,we cant belive its almost 5 years that your not here with your family and friends,i cant help it to cry while im writing this because when i see laura sad it kills me inside and knowing this happened to you,even though we may not be able to see you, we all know your hear with us and were going to see you soon,laura is the strongest person i know,shes the best person too,you will always be forever young happy birthday and rest in peace precious angel 3.15.90-9.13.03 <3333 Close
“It was 3:00 am on March 15, 1990 when I felt my first contraction. I knew it was the real thing because that was the day I wanted you to be born, on your Nanny’s birthday. I slept on the couch that night because I was having trouble sleeping and did not want to wake Dad. I stayed up from 3am until 5am just timing my contractions. I was so calm and relaxed. I wrote Nanny a long note on what to do with Amy while I was in the hospital. At 5:00 am I went in to wake Dad and told him he won’t be going to work today. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart. Nanny immediately woke up when she heard Dad and I talking. I went in to take a shower while Dad called the doctor. Nanny could not believe I was in the shower shaving my legs while having contractions. But I was feeling so calm and did not want to have nubby legs when I gave birth. When we left for the hospital I kissed Nanny goodbye and told her “happy birthday”. We arrived at the hospital around 6:00 am. The nurse told me I was 3 centimeters dilated and to walk around for an hour to help the contractions become stronger. By 7:00am the contractions were very strong and at 8:08am you were born. Dad cut the umbilical cord and when they laid you on my stomach I thought to myself, you look so “complete” , like you were already a couple of months old. We stared at each other as if we knew each other forever and at that moment I fell in love. What a special treasure God blessed me with on this beautiful March day. I thank God for the 13 ½ years he gave me with you. Your life was all about happiness and love. You lived, you loved and you laughed. You lived more life and touched more people in those 13 ½ years than most can do in a lifetime. I know you are continuing to live, love and laugh in Heaven because I can’t possibly imagine you any other way.
And now on what would be your eighteenth birthday I am still unable to comprehend or accept the fact that I will never see you again in this life. My insides scream for you, my heart aches to see you again. I constantly long for your touch, to see your beautiful face and to once again feel the warmth and love you brought into my life. I keep replaying that horrible night over and over again in my mind trying to change the ending. But nothing changes. Nothing will ever bring you back. I am so sorry that you are not here to celebrate your 18th birthday. You know that your accident was not your fault and everyone else knows that too. The only people who blame you (and God) are the Fina’s, the people who were justly found negligent and responsible for your death. Very sad for them that they can’t face the truth, but they are the ones who have to live with themselves. In the meantime, your honorable name will live on forever Sara and you will be saving so many lives. Parents will now have to be responsible for their actions. I am just so sorry it had to be you to teach this lesson. The fact that you will be able to save others I know makes you very happy and proud. We are very proud of you Sara, and always will be. When my time comes to leave this world I will have a smile on my face because I know you will be there to welcome me home.
Stay extra close to Nanny and keep her strong as she goes through another birthday without you. Stay close to all of us Sara, we need you. We know you are taking good care of us and we thank you for that. We hope you have a great birthday celebration in Heaven with your cousin Gregory, your boyfriend Mikey, and all your other family and friends. While you are celebrating in Heaven, we will be celebrating your life here on earth. We miss you Sara, we love you and we can’t wait to see you again… Happy 18th Birthday sweetie...
Happy 18th Birthday My Precious Angel! / Nanny (Grandmother)Read >>
Happy 18th Birthday My Precious Angel! / Nanny (Grandmother)
Dear Sara - As we once again remember our mutual birthday on March 15th, I realize that those precious thirteen years we celebrated together were the most beautiful and meaningful years of my entire life. Losing you has left a void in my life that can never be filled. I want to hug you and hold you close as we blow out our candles on the cake that always said, " HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARA AND NANNY". I need to see your beautiful, smiling face as you make your wish and cut the first piece of cake. I long for your Happy Birthday kiss.
I know that someday we will be together again, eternally. Until then, my sweet Sara, light up the heavens with your eighteen candles and your your beautiful smile. I will feel the warmth of your love and the memories we made will get me through another year of missing you so much. Happy 18th Birthday precious angel. I will love you forever!
happy birthday my angel. / Cassie Emanuelli (bestfriend)Read >>
happy birthday my angel. / Cassie Emanuelli (bestfriend)
sara- next weekend when your birthday (the 15th) and mine the (16th) comes all i ever remember is you. every year since youve past the emotion of you not being here anymore comes over me but i remember everything we used to do. the sleepovers the safety patrol trip in 5th grade it was the best we were buddies the whole trip, sleeping on each others shoulders the whole train ride and building those huge tents! i just wish you were here to celebrate the big 18 years together! i love you and i know your in a safer place now and i hope your always looking down on me every second of the day. your my inspiration for everything i do. i love you soo muchh and happy 18th birthday i miss you my angel!<3
forever young / Ally
sara...you will always be forever young. you will never have to grow old and get gray hair or wrinkles! you will stay forever beautiful and forever in our hearts...happy 18th birthday, angel! Close
Another child saved........ / Traci Lodge
Thank you for sharing Sara's story. I don't think I can express through words, just how much it has touched our lives. I have a 17 year old girl who is just 4 months younger than your precious Sara, I can't begin to imagine your pain. I have a 10 year old son who is a true boy in every sense of the word except for being sensitive to others - that's where he differs the most. My husband wanted a four-wheeler SO bad that he traded his practically brand new motorcycle for one. It is the biggest four-wheeler I have ever seen - honestly! Within days, to my horror, my husband had my 65 lb son riding this huge four-wheeler by himself and without a helmet! His rules were - he couldn't go over 15 miles per hour and couldn't ride friends without an adult present. I was one of the mothers who would hide inside and pray that nothing happened. After a couple of days of this, I had that horrible sinking feeling (that mothers instictively get when something is wrong) I finally dug deep inside myself to stand up and say, "I don't want him riding without a helmet" Later that day, my son approached me with a story that had happened earlier in the day. He admitted that he had slid into the back end of a friends ATV when his friend made an abrupt stop in front of him. At that exact moment, I remembered the 'sinking feeling' I had experienced earlier in the day. Thank God, neither boy was hurt, but it gave me the backbone that I needed to express what I was feeling inside. I went straight to the internet and stumbled on your website almost immediately! My son asked what I was doing, (which was something he rarely does) and when I told him, he piled up beside me and begin to read Sara's story. With tears in his eyes, he said, "I don't ever want to ride the four-wheeler again because I don't want what happened to Sara to happen to me". Through sharing your pain and loss, you can be assured Sara's story is saving lives. Thank you from a grateul mother. May God bless you for the rest of your lives. Close
I wanted to stop by and tell you that I am sorry that you lost your precious daughter. She is very beautiful and I know that you and your family misses her greatly. I believe that if more people were held responsible, there would be fewer deaths. My son was also killed on an ATV after someone let him ride without a helmet, unsupervised. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. Natalie, mom to Angel, Anthony Paul Wodzinski January 18, 1991 ~ June 10, 2006 I love him everywhere he is...
Wow, you're 18 today! Time goes so fast. You’ll be leaving for college this summer. Florida State! I am so happy you and Amy are going to the same college. Laura is already missing you and you haven’t even left! Even though she’s your “annoying little sister”, who borrows all your clothes and make-up without asking, she loves you so much and she knows how much you love her. You are always looking out for her and you’re always there for her when she needs you. After your big graduation party we will start getting everything ready for college. We will take some practice drives up to Tallahassee before you drive there on your own. It’s such a long drive and I worry about that. I feel like you will be so far away but you know if you ever need me I will be there in a New York minute. I am going to miss you so much but I know Amy will take good care of you and show you the ropes. I love the prom dress you picked out for your very last high school prom. When you tried it on you looked like a beautiful angel. Sara, I am so proud of you. Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter. I love you so much sweetie……
This is what I should be writing to you right now. This is how your life should be right now. You are such a huge missing link in this family and there is nothing we can do to ever fill this void. We will never really know what might have been. We can only imagine. You had so much life to live, so much love to give. You weren’t finished living Sara, you were only thirteen. Why did you have to go? I hope you are living a full life where you are now, one so great that I could never even come close to imagining what it’s like.
Sara, even though you ended up going to Heaven before college, I know you are enjoying the college life anyway with Amy, walking by her side and always watching over her. And even though Laura had to start missing you so much sooner than she should have, she has learned that you are still a very big part of her life and you are still around, taking good care of her. We never did get to have that big graduation party, but in a way you did graduate, not from High School, but from life. And you passed every test here. Your family and friends over there must have given you the biggest party when you arrived. Even though we never got to take those practice drives to Tallahassee you are still with me in the car every trip I take, either through a song on the radio or a conversation I have with you that I hope you hear. Even though you are so much further away than Tallahassee, I know you are safe and I know in the blink of an eye, in a New York minute, I will be with you again. And even though you did not get to wear that prom dress, that beautiful white robe I saw you wearing in my dream took my breath away. You looked so beautiful, just like an angel. I miss you Sara, more and more. I am so proud of you. Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter and friend. I love you sweetie and that will never change……
My life without you 4 1/2 years later / Mom Read >>
My life without you 4 1/2 years later / Mom
Dear Sara,
I am sure you know the difficult road I have traveled these past 4 1/2 years. The road that no mother should ever have to travel. The road that has absolutely no end. I want more than anything to heal, for this pain to ease and life to go back to normal. But I still continue to walk through my days feeling empty, disconnected from what is going on around me. I am physically living here but emotionally I am “over there” with you. My soul has died and now only my body exists here. I go through the motions, day after day after day. As your mother I feel I have failed. I couldn’t be there for you when you needed me, I couldn’t make you better, I couldn’t take your pain away, I couldn’t die for you. How can anything ever make that better? You did all you could the first couple of years to let me know you were okay and happy. And everyday I looked forward to your next sign. As they became less and less I begged you more and more for just one more sign. But I think you knew it was time for me to find my strength on my own, without your help. So you pulled back, left me on my own to find my way. Now I keep searching and searching for something that will connect me back to this world. Something that will give me some peace of mind. I need to be here for your sisters, they need me and I can’t fail them too. Four and one half years later I am missing you more than ever Sara, but I will try my best to move forward as best I can because I know that is what you want me to do. I love you Sara, Happy almost 18th Birthday Sweetie….
THINKING OF YOU SARA / ALEXIS~MIKEYS MOM (A FRIEND )Read >>
THINKING OF YOU SARA / ALEXIS~MIKEYS MOM (A FRIEND )
DEAR CATHY, I HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR WENT WELL...EVERYTIME I GO TO MIKEYS SITE I ALWAYS STOP BY TO LOOK AT SARA'S AND TO THIS DAY IT STILL BRINGS ME TO TEARS..I WISH I COULD BRING THEM BOTH BACK TO US ...ONLY IF I HAD ONE WISH...I WAS SO GLAD TO SEE THAT JUSTICE WAS FINALY SERVED...I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG..THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE BY THE BOYS FAMILY MADE ME SICK...WOULD THEY FEEL THE SAME IF IT WAS THRERE CHILD...MY OPINION IS THEY WERE 100 PERCENT AT FAULT.. SARA IS TRUELY BEAUTIFUL...WE TALK ABOUT HER IN MY HOUSE LIKE WE KNEW HER.. SHE HAS LEFT A MARK IN THIS WORLD BECAUSE OF YOU...KEEPING HER MEMORY ALIVE...IF YOU EVER NEED A FRIEND I AM HERE FOR YOU..IF YOU FEEL LIKE NO ONE UNDERSTANDS "I DO"....WHEN WE WERE IN HAWAII, I PUT A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE TO MIKEY AND SARA...JUST REMINDING THEM HOW MUCH THEY ARE LOVED"LIKE THEY DONT KNOW ALREADY" LOL....SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I KNOW SARA...I WISH I DID...SOME DAY...WELL I WILL TALK TO YOU SOON CATHY...THANK YOU FOR NEVER FORGETTING ME AND MIKEY....YOUR KIND WORDS ALWAYS LIFT MY SPIRITS....LOVE, ALEXIS
The New Year starts... / Colleen Pagano (Friend)Read >>
The New Year starts... / Colleen Pagano (Friend)
Another year is to begin and those of us who have lost somebody are always looking back to the past. Duane, Cathy, Amy and Laura ... I was thinking of you tonight and to comfort myself I went to visit your website. It's amazing how sometimes when you cry, it helps you to feel closer to those you have lost. Duane and Cathy, I read that the courts have found the Finas accountable for Sara's death. I know it will never bring her back to you, but the courts acknowledged her and have held accountable adults who should have known better and been paying attention.
Amy and Laura - I think of you at this time of year (and always) and know where you are. Amy, you and I share a birthday (which of course, always made you extra special-your picture still sits on my desk) but unfortunately we also share the loss of a sibling. I lost my brother when I was 16 years old. I know where you and Laura are, what you feel, and the confusion you feel.
I hope 2008 can bring closure to the legal side of your lives. I appreciate you keeping the website alive so that I can keep up with your thoughts.
I just wanted you to know I remember and I think of you many times in many days.
Christmas is here once again and as usual I will put on my mask and try to make it through another Christmas without you. My body feels so weak, my bones hurt and I feel like I am coming down with the flu. I feel like this every year at Christmas time. I just want to sink into my bed and disappear and not wake up until the “excitement” of the season is over. But I can’t stop, I need to keep going because I know that is what you want me to do. It hurts so much Sara, and it never gets easier. I know that you are still alive in Heaven and you are in such a beautiful place but it is so hard to see past this material world. I can’t imagine what Heaven is like, what everyone looks like in Heaven. Does everyone look just as they looked on earth? I want so bad to know what heaven is like Sara, but I won't know until I get there. That seems so far away. I guess I will have to continue to live on faith until then, I have to believe what I can’t see. But I want so much to see Heaven, I want to see you!! That is all I want for Christmas. And that will be all I want for the rest of my days here on this earth. Every day feels like an eternity without you in it.
Sara, this Christmas I want you to know that your presence will be felt by all of us, just like it is everyday. Every where in our house there is a reminder of you. Your pictures hang on every wall, your bedroom walls are covered with posters that all your friends made for you. Scrapbooks with pictures and beautiful sentiments written by your friends, family, teachers and acquaintances are also in your room. I cry every time I read them. Dad decorated your backyard tree so beautifully this year and every year we add something new to it. Your tree grows bigger and stronger every year, just like our love for you. On Christmas Eve candles will be lit all over the house, your stocking will hang on the fireplace with everyone else’s, your special Christmas tree with all the angels and butterflies will shine brightly as usual. As we gather around the Christmas tree to open gifts we will remember the greatest gift of all, the gift of your love. A love that is always with us, a love that can never die. Thank you Sara for loving us so much and thank you for the best 13 ½ years of our lives. Merry Christmas in Heaven Sara… we love you more than words can ever express, we miss you more and more each day, you are always in our arms, our hearts, our minds. There is never a moment when you are not a part of our lives….
Love Always and Forever, Mom, Dad, Amy and Laura Close
i'm very sorry. / Gianna (none.)
i'd like to say, i'm very sorry for your lose of sara. i dont know you, nor did i know sara. but, i did watch the youtube video(s) and i'd like to say, i'm very sorry. Close