I miss you  / Britney Hynds (friend)
I wanted mum to write this today Belle to tell you just how much I am missing you. I talk to my mummy about you everyday, and we are watching closely the wonderful work your mummy and daddy are doing in  your name. I only wish it would help bring you back. Your mummy and daddy should be so proud they are doing what no-one has been able to do before and get the politicians to take some notice. I have your photo by my bed so I can see you all the time it makes me feel closer to you. I ask mummy where you are now and she says you are flying with the angels,  I just hope you are happy and not wanting for anything. I want you to remember me as I remember and love you. Missing you always your friend Britney.

Belle, I have not known of anyone else that has such an effect on Britney the way you have, She talks about you always and misses you greatly. Fly high with the angels beautiful girl, thank you for the light you brought to Britney's life. Kathy.xxx Close

This is for you Belle  / A. Friend

Even though i never met your baby, i was in tears as i read her story. This is for her.


Its been a year Bellie
And we really really miss you
You've helpped to save lives Belle
You should be so proud
Your mummy, daddy and big sisters
Are telling people all about you and your gift.
Lots more grown ups know how to keep their kids save now
And they are all thanking you
You are thought about everyday
And loved forever more
You make daddy's heart sing happy songs
And we wish you were here
Laura, Hannah and Maddy are being so brave
They know you loved to smile
So they smile when they think of you
Because you made their lives so much better
There will always be an empty spot that you once filled
You can never be replaced
And noone ever will
They just have lots of memories,
That all involve you
You will always be apart of our lives Bellie
We are missing you lots
And we Love you to Pluto and back

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thankyou for yur courage  / Courtney Vickery
I dont really know what to say other than, I am extremely sympathetic for your loss...

it scares me to think that within an istant we can loose our precious little ones.... 

And like you said our laws are meant to be the best in the world... i have a new baby on the way and was wondeing what to do with the car seat arrangment, i will not be compromising either of their saftey with an adult seat belt EVER.

thankyou so much for you courage....

i am sure isabelle is with the angels and she is keeping an eye on all of you! Close

My condolenses  / Laila

No words can possibly ease your pain but I hope you find comfort in your brave and generous cause to save many other lives.  May God bless you and Isabelle's spirit.  Best wishes and love, Laila

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I can't thank-u enough  / Candy Peters
I can't thank you enough for having the courage and strength to tell your story. You will have helped to save MANY little lives!
My husband and I are in the process of changing our daughter into a booster seat and I've been searching for the best one as she's too light to be put into a normal booster seat (only 11.5kg).
In all my re-search, I'd never heard of a story like yours. 
I taped the ACA show and played it back for my husband. We're now completely convinced that we'll pay any price and we'll search high and low until we can ensure that our little angel will be safe.
Thank-you a million thank-you's. You've opened our eyes and potentally saved our daughter.
My heart goes out to you as a mother, (for our daughter will be three on sunday) and I can't imagine your loss, nor the pain of speaking about it on TV. But because of your courage, you've saved lives!!! God Bless You!
Candy Close

wiping away the tears...  / Kylie B.
I'm sitting here wiping away my tears as I watch the photos of your beautiful little Belle. I can't possibly imagine the pain that you are experiencing. I saw the story of A Current Affair last week and was really touched that you are hoping to make your tragedy save the life of another little angel. After watching the story I immediately went & fitted a harness to my youngest daughter's booster seat (something I wasn't aware that I need to do). An act that thanks to you might one day save her life!
We too have two gorgeous daughters, also 4 years apart, the youngest, named Bella has just turned 4. Maybe thats one of the reasons your story has touched me so much, there seem to be quite a few similararities. Anyway, I have already told several of my friends, and will continue to tell others in hope that it will also make them more aware.
I'm so very, very sorry for your loss. Thank you so much for sharing.

Kylie Close

Belle.... / Emma (Someone who wants to help )

Belle look how many people you have reached out too.
I want to help your mummy and daddy tell people about your gift, i have told all my friends already and their families, all of who were uniformed, my friend has a 15mth old baby brother, who looks like he would be about 2 or 2 and a half, hes a big boy, he has almost gown out of his 2nd baby seat, and because of you i was able to tell his mummy and daddy what to do when he gets that little bit bigger.
Thank you,
And Danielle and Noel. thank you so much for your strentgth to speak out, you have saved so many others.

You are always in my thoughts.
xoxox

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attention to car companies  / Juanita (visitor to site )
thank u so much for putting your story out for people to see. I hope some of these car companies have seen your story and will pay attention. I bought a new car a few years ago a ford station wagon as a mother of 3 I thought that this was a "family"car but boy was I wrong the way they design the seats it is a struggle to fit 3 booster seats across the back seat and there is only a place for one anchor point and ford say we can not put another one in. So this means that my 15 month old can be in her correct seat with harness but my 4 and 6 year old can not wear a 5  point harness only a adult seat belt. I really hope what happened to you family does not have to happen to any one else. Close

I am so glad you are speaking out about your terrible loss.  / Vickie Kratzmann (none)
My heart aches for you and I totally understand the sadness you are experiencing as I lost my dear son Maui on 6/6/2006.He was 5 years old and 5 months and was belted in to with an adult seat belt to a booster as well. We dont know exactly what happened  but I do know the booster was absolutely no help to him somehow the belt came undone and the seat and child were thrown from the vehicle. He could easily undo the belt and we dont know if he undid it. We have been to the US and bought a safer seat with the 5 point harness for a child up to 100 lbs, it is also tethered the Cosco Model. Maui was only 18 kg and we thought the booster would be safe and knew nothing of the maxi rider. Now we have a Subaru Liberty which has the isofix facility to secure the bottom tether. It also beeps when we the seat belt is undone which is another factor that helps if the child is in a booster seat or normal seat belt. We personally will never put a child again in a booster again only a 5 point harness seat while they are under  80-100 lbs.It was extremely difficult to get the better seats here and the laws definitely need to change and we will not rest until they do. Manufacturers cannot import the good seats to pass Australian standards, it is just crazy. Our children deserve so much more.I will help in anyway can to get this.To save one child. Close

Thankyou / Cathy Hughes

We lost our grandson Jake four years ago. he was 2years and 10months
He died when the car his mum was driving hit another car head on.
He too was in a booster seat secure by an adult seat belt.This was also a low speed accident but the space between Jake and the belt was enough to throw him forward with enough force to fatally injure him.
He sustained a devasting head injury and his father, our son, and Jakes mum had to make the decision the next day to let him go.
We miss him so much.


I just want to say how sorry I am that you lost your precious baby
Belle and how thankful I am that you are so courageous.

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Thank You!  / Dayna Howard
After watching the show that aired last night on ACA, I went straight out this morning and bought my son a 5 point harness for his booster seat. I thought that you might like to know that I went to 3 different shops to buy the harness because the other shops had sold out as there had been a run on them this morning, due to the story last night. In the baby shop where I ended up getting one, the girl that served me said that had sold a heap already this morning and one guy walked in and bought 4 for his children.

I never realised the dangers of using the adult seat belt with my son's booster seat, now I do and as a result he will be using the proper harness instead. Thank you so much for sharing your story and for potentailly saving the lives of many other children, including mine!!! Close

Our Angel belle  / Mummy
Bella Boo,

Tonight we told your story on TV and lots and lots of people have come to meet you.  We are so proud of you and blessed that we were lucky enough to have you for 3 wonderful years.  You were pure delight and despite our grief we have come to realise that your gifts weren't just in your living.  You had more gifts for this world and we won't miss a single one of them.

As your mummy I had the honour of growing you and feeling you kick for the first time, feeding you and looking after your every need.  I was so very lucky to be able to kiss your cheeks and tell you how very special you were.

We miss you and my heart hurts every time I take a breath.  Its full of the pain of being physically separated from you.  Your spirit lingers and I have that tucked up snug under my heart.

I honour you Belle by facing the demons and demanding the world learn from our awful tragedy.  I honour you by getting up every day and looking after your sister and growing her into the best person she can be.  I honour you by telling anyone who will listen the gifts you have to give.  I promise you that children will be safer and you will shine ever brighter.

You are my angel girl and I live for you.

Mummy Close

Anniversary is near  / Danielle (Mummy)
It has been a year since our angel baby was taken from us and as the day approaches to mark this we remember her with such love. We miss her the same every day and I know for both anniversaries, the one before Good Friday and then the actual date, we won't wake up and miss her more or be magically healed. It simply heightens our pain and brings up the memories of our loss. It marks her departure and I have struggled all year to celebrate her life and not be crippled by her death.

She was the product of Noel and myself. She looked like me and she reminded me of both of us. She had my calm way and she had his fear of loud noises. She hated vacuum cleaners, sharp loud noises and anything that didn't make sense, like gloves and stockings. I think she didn't like that your hands and feet disappeared.

She hated new shoes. We would have to hold her down at the beginning of every season and pull the shoes on while she tried to pull them off. Needless to say she only really had one pair for each season, two if we pushed our luck.

She only had one hair cut in her life and she worried that she would ever have to have another. She cried through it and spoke about it for the next two years.

When we went shopping and were riding the moving ramp to leave she would call out goodbye to each of the shops. Goodbye bread shop, goodbye glasses shop, goodbye shoe shop...it was so cute.

She loved Ponies and Care bears and whenever is see one I instantly think of her playing at gym under the table with her bag stuffed full of her ponies. Which reminds me of the time she sat quietly at gym and used a texta as lipstick. She was stealthfully quiet during this surprise for mummy. She was the world’s neatest colourer and I've said this before you can tell a Belle page in any of our colouring books straight away and its so nice now to come across one.

These are the types of memories that we are celebrating when we stop to mark her life on the 13th. These are the sums of parts that added up to make Isabelle our Belle, these here are but a few.

She had a lot of friends at school and we maintain this is because she truly was a gentle loving soul. Each of those friends has missed her terribly and has also grieved her this year. She has found a place in their hearts and she would chatter about each of them on her way to and from school. She would tell me how she played in the sand pit or played fun with her favourite people. Thank you to those lovely souls and their parents for allowing us to keep a part of Belle with us through the relationship she had with her friends.

She would tell me if anyone annoyed her too and she would say it like this 'they were fighting me mummy, they were fighting me...’ I tried to talk to her about why but basically I learnt it meant they did something she wasn't happy about. She was annoyed.

She loved Madeleine so much and they spent so much of their time at home together. Madeleine was so protective of Belle and I knew if they were together that Belle would be fine, because Madeleine had her back.
She misses her and she too is feeling the world spin back into alignment and I treasure that she is here and that we can talk about Belle with her and keep her close during this time. It's hard for all of us.

I celebrate Belle during this time not because of how or when she died but because of all the love she gave and all the good memories I have of her. I celebrate her life, the moments and the fact that she made me a different person and she continues to leave her mark on this world. She was special because she was ours and we wish that this was not the first of many anniversaries, we wish that she would magically appear and that someone would laugh and say fooled you.

I miss her with ever ounce of my being and I will keep her with me and celebrate her.


Love you Miss Honey XXXXXX Close

You are my INSPIRATION -  / Toni's Mummy

---

I thought I would share this with you
Something I wrote tonight after the show aired....



Did I ever tell you
while you were here by my side
the way that as a baby
you were the reason for my pride

You always had a smile
for the strangers in the street
You would show your great big dimples
to the people we would meet

As you began to walk around
independence you had found
until you came back crying
when you fell upon the ground

You never asked for trouble
but you found it for yourself
though it was just little things
nothing major to harm your health

You grew into a princess
with lovely big blue eyes
such a sweet young lady
and a hit with all the guys

But something tragic happened
you were torn away from me
the angels came and took you
they helped you to fly free

But I am left without you
my angel, my darling little girl
how can I face another second
without you in my world

But I am still a mother
and must face another day
all I can do is wish for you
and in my dreams I prey

That I have the strength to speak out
to tell the world about that day
the reason why your no longer here
And how you went away

I will fight until my dying day
to share your legacy worldwide
That car seats and child harnesses
are needed for every car ride

That we didnt have the information
To keep out loved one safe
But now we know the facts alright
we are spreading them in every place

It is so very hard sweet girl
to help save another little child
when I didnt know how to save you
it makes my temper wild

If only someone had told me
how to properly strap you in the car
You would be here with me right now
and not a memory from afar

You are my inspiration
you give me the strength i need each day
to stop this happening to another child
and taking them away

So while you are looking over me
with one hand upon my shoulder
I will take a breath, stand up straight
and make my voice much bolder

to shout out our warning to others
who may not understand
to help them choose correctly
and hold their other hand

Your gift to me was knowledge
of how precious children are
And I will forever make it my job
To protect other chuldren in their car Close

Thank you  / Leanne Perry (Friend of Danielle and Noel )
Danielle and Noel and Madeline,

Thank you for allowing me to help you in your fight for safer car seats and letting people know about the seats suitable for their precious children.

Thank you for sharing Belle with me.  She will always have a special place close to my heart.

Thank you for your inspiration to speak out and fight for what we know is needed in Australia.

Thank you for allowing me to share Toni and our story with you and the rest of our supporters.

Thank you for your support and kind words.

BUT MOSTLY
I Thank you for becoming my friends. Close

Thank you for sharing your story!!  / Selina Richards
I know so many people have said "Thank You" for sharing your story but I just had to say it again.

We purchased a car seat that suits a child up to 26kg called a maxi rider (which is basically just like a huge car seat) as our son was tall, so he was in it from 12 months. We were just about to purchase a booster seat for my husbands work vehicle, just for my son who is just over two now to be taken to daycare in. My Mum always said she didn't like the booster seats as she didn't think they were safe enough. Luckily we didn't purchase the booster seat we were going to wait until this week-end.

Now I will go and purchase the same car seat that we have. Which they say you can also get a harness for when they are to big for the car seat straps.

I was in a car accident about 6 weeks ago (side impact) on my way to pick up my son from daycare. And I just Thanked God that my son wasn't in the car at the time. And we even got a new car seat (identical to the maxi rider that was in the accident) even though he wasn't in it at the time I didn't want to take the risk that it was damaged.

So thank you from preventing me from buying the booster seat I will now go and buy the same Maxi Rider tomorrow.  Close

Thank you  / Scott MacLean
I watched your video on youtube, i'm fighting back the tears what a beautifull little girl. I have two girls aged 5 and 7, i take them to school every morning less that 1km away and they only use an adult belt (No booster seat) They will be using the booster seats tomorrow. Thank you for making me see the danger. My heart goes out to you family. Close

Thank you.  / David Adam

So sorry for your loss.  I admire your ability to turn such a tragedy in to a force for change to help other children.  Thanks to your efforts our eldest daughter (only just 4) is going back in to a proper child seat.  I only hope you can find some comfort in the thought that you will save the lives of other children just like your Isabelle.

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School / Britney Hynds (Friend)
We had abit of a scare at school today Belle. A silly man from the hospital ambulance didn't put his brake on and the bus went through the cyclone fence and hit the embankment just above the school. The teachrs had to move us from th ocean room into the rockpool room incase it slipped and came through school. We all had to hold hands and move out the front door into to the other room. The teachers rang all the mummies to tell them everything was o.k but my mummy was at the doctors sick and decided it was better to take me home. I miss you so much Belle, It was scary but a bit fun I wish you could have been there. My mum has told me that your mumand dad have moved house now, I am still trying to get her to let me go and play with your sister madelaine. She says when everyone is settled. Your garden at school  is looking pretty with all the rain making the flowers start to come out. The butterfly your family gave is in pride of place on the back wall. It looks so pretty.
i miss you more and more each day always remember I love you, Britney xoxoxoxoxoox
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