'I don’t want to die,' girl tells brother before losing life to tobogganing accident in Ottawa
Tears stream steadily down the face of a woman set to bury her daughter on Thursday. Sitting next to her is a husband and father who wraps his arm around his wife stoically, though not void of emotion.
The sadness in his eyes tell a story of heartbreak.
"She’d often tell us, 'I'd like to be an actress,'" said her father Joseph Abi Assal.
Josée Abi Assal, 11, was the youngest of her three siblings. She would have turned 12 in February. This would be her first Canadian winter, but on Monday, Dec. 27, it would also be her last; a tobogganing crash took her life.
Tragedy struck at Mooney’s Bay just before 3 p.m. that afternoon. Josée was with her older siblings, and her aunt and cousins who live close by. It was to be a fun family activity on a long weekend following Christmas. Josée’s parents were not there. What they know of the crash is what their children witnessed.
The family says there were three on the sled. They had moved away from the crowds and went down the westbound side of the hill. They say the sled picked up speed, spun around and they were sliding down backwards before slamming into one of the poles. From what doctors have told them, it severed her spine.
"She asked her brother, 'Why did this happen to me?'" said mother Marie-Lou El-Kada. "She told him, 'I don’t want to continue my life paralyzed. I don't want to die,' she told him."
Josée’s brother, Jules, had been on the sled with her and one of their cousins. After colliding with the pole, other relatives including her sister rushed to her side. She asked her sister, Maria, for help, but she didn’t know what to do. Maria told her parents that she kissed her sister as her brother held her while they waited for the ambulance.
"My daughter said to me, 'I didn’t know how to help her.' She said, 'I kissed her.' I told her it’s enough – your kiss," said El-Kada while her face contorted with grief.
The family says they are breaking their silence in honour of a young girl who embodied love and to spare other families a similar fate of insufferable sadness.
Josée Abi Assal died following a toboggan crash in Ottawa on December 27, 2021. (Images provided by family)
The family of five had moved from Lebanon just six months ago. The Ottawa-Gatineau region was supposed to be their fresh start following the explosion in Beirut and the violent clashes protesting what demonstrators are alleging is a corrupt government.
El-Kada was a senior tax official with the Ministry of Finance back in Lebanon. At 44 years old, she is now studying for her MBA at the University of Quebec. Her husband owned a grocery store but also has transferable accounting experience. The extended family in Canada welcomed them with open arms. The cousins, close in age, were happy to be together – no longer separated by an ocean and several international borders.
Josée was already thriving at her school in Gatineau.
Through her mother's eyes, wet from all the mourning, is still a sparkle that beams with pride. On display during the interview is a trophy for floor hockey, a first place red ribbon for cross-country, certificates of merit and a little red book where she journaled her love for family and God.
The family says their faith keeps them bonded. The uncle who lives near Mooney’s Bay is a priest. They say it is that same faith which makes them hope their daughter’s death will serve a greater purpose. They are hoping the city of Ottawa will do more to make the hill safe.
While the city has acknowledged Mooney’s Bay isn’t a sanctioned hill for tobogganing, many Ottawa residents have done just that for decades.
Coun. Riley Brockington is calling for a thorough safety review and says he had a meeting with the Parks and Recreation Department on Tuesday. He anticipates there will be a follow-up next week.
In the meantime, Josée had signed up for organ donation. Her eyes will now help two other people. Even then, the family hopes it is the city of Ottawa that will be able to see that more needs to be done.
Book of Condolences & Support
A friend of the family has set up a GoFundMe page in support of Josée Abi Assal's family. Click here to donate or leave a message offering your sympathies.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.