The mother of two children who died in a horror motorway crash has revealed she is pregnant, with her due date falling on the birthday of her tragic daughter. Gracie-Ann Lucas, four, and her brother Jayden-Lee Lucas, three, were both killed by a drink and drug fuelled van driver who ploughed into the car their mother was driving.
Rhiannon Lucas survived but was seriously hurt. Her two children died within days of each other, Wales Online reports. Van driver Martin Newman, was locked up for nine years and four months after he smashed into their car on the M4 in Newport, Wales, in February.
He was more than twice the drink-driving limit after going out with colleagues the night before the crash. Newman, who admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, and one of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and charges of drink-driving and drug-driving, had downed 10 cans of Strongbow and taken cocaine when he returned to his hotel room.
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Now Rhiannon and her partner Adam Saunders - who was a stepfather to Jayden and Gracie - have announced they are expecting a child. Miraculously, the child's due date has been announced as April 10, 2023, on what would have been Gracie-Ann's sixth birthday.
Adam, 27, said the pregnancy is keeping the pair 'sane'. He said: "After everything we have been through, this is something to keep us sane and positive and happy to look forward to now.
"Obviously, we will never forget Jayden and Gracie but it's something we don't have to always dwell on and always have sad moments, we have happy memories to look back on. This [the pregnancy] is something now for us to focus on and look forward to. It's something lovely to happen to us after everything that has happened."
Adam said he was left was 'gobsmacked' after hearing of the due date. He said: "It's like fate. For the due date to be on Gracie's birthday, it's like the kids were sending us a message. I was hands in my face gobsmacked. I was speechless.
"For my first child and Rhiannon's third, to be due on Gracie's birthday, well it's incredible. It's a special child.
"Emotions are definitely high but there have always been smiles on our faces since we found out, we're always talking about it, always on our mind. Anything we do talk about in terms of Gracie and Jayden is obviously still very emotional but we talk about them in a happy way, we remember positive memories. They're happy memories, we're smiling when we talk about them."
The children had a joint funeral service, where the children's favourite cartoon characters lead the procession and doves were released into the air. "Me and Rhiannon go up the graveside quite frequently," Adam said. "And I've got to be honest the first time we went to the grave after we found out it was like announcing the news to them that they're having a brother or sister.
"Although they are gone they're still with us in our hearts and as far as we are concerned, Gracie and Jayden are having a little brother or sister. We did get emotional then. It was like we were telling them the news, without being able to physically tell them the news.
"But we know they are looking down on us and knew what we told them. And now they'll certainly have some involvement. They're making sure they are involved and sending a message with the due date on Gracie's birthday. And now they'll certainly have some involvement. This is something lovely and exciting for us all now."
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