WATCH ABOVE: The husband of Cyndi Duong, who was killed in her home Dec. 29, speaks to Kent Morrison about how is family is doing and how a special hockey game in Calgary is helping them heal.
EDMONTON — David Luu used to go to the rink with his wife Cyndi Duong and watch their kids play hockey. Now, it’s one of the hardest places for him to be.
“It hurts. It reminds me of me and my wife coming to the rink together, especially a game. That was our thing because we are really proud of our kids.”
“It’s hard for me to go because she’s not there,” says Luu, his voice breaking. “It’s just me.”
Cyndi Duong was fatally shot in her home on Dec. 29, hours after Phu Lam shot and killed seven other people — including family members — in a north Edmonton home. The killings became one of the largest mass murders in Edmonton’s history.
READ MORE: Edmonton mass murder – a timeline of events
Luu doesn’t like to dwell on the man responsible or why it happened. When his children ask him why a man killed their mother, he relies on his faith to try to find an answer.
“My kids ask me ‘why are there so many bad people? Why did he have to kill mom?’ I tell them ‘let God deal with him. We can’t think about him – just happy thoughts about mom.'”
Luu says his faith came from his wife. And now, it’s helping him through this unthinkable situation.
“I don’t think I’m a strong man,” he says. “It’s faith.”
While hockey has been a difficult reminder for Luu, it’s been a welcome escape for his 14-year-old son Jeremy.
“It seems like when he’s on the ice, he forgets for a little bit, he’s not as sad… He’s just thinking about his mom. He wants to make her proud of him.”
WATCH: As Cyndi Duong’s family struggles to cope with their loss, hockey is playing a special role in their healing process. Kent Morrison reports.
Luu says his two younger children, daughter Jaime and son Noah, haven’t felt ready to play hockey again, but he hopes that will change.
“My wife loved watching my daughter play,” he adds with a smile.
After Duong was killed, members of Jeremy’s Bantam team, the Southwest Zone Oil Kings, created custom-made helmet stickers with her initials on them. Team members thought the fundraiser would be a great way to show support for Jeremy and his two younger siblings, while raising money for the family’s trust fund.
READ MORE: Edmonton hockey community rallies around family of mass murder victim
“They’re amazing,” says Luu. “It speaks volumes of the community, giving a hand of support to my family.”
“There’s a lot of good people here. I’m thankful for that.”
Jeremy also feels the support from his team mates and the hockey community.
“Just the other day I saw a whole bunch of teams with the stickers on their helmets. It really touched me. I know that I’m getting support from a lot of people.”
WATCH: Jeremy Luu, the 14-year-old son of Cyndi Duong, who was killed in her home Dec. 29, speaks to Kent Morrison about how is family is doing and how hockey is helping him heal.
Jeremy has been invited to play in a special hockey game at the Saddledome Thursday night to honour the memory of five-year-old Nathan O’Brien, who went missing late June 2014 and was presumed dead after a weeks-long investigation.
Seven officers who were involved in the investigation will be lacing up to play in the game. They will face off against Calgary Flames alumni.
READ MORE: Police, former Flames lace up for hockey game to honour Nathan O’Brien
The teenager says he was stunned to get the invitation.
“Are you serious? Is this for real?,” he asked when he found out. “It’s really awesome.”
In his first game back after his mother’s death, Jeremy scored the game-winning goal for his team.
“All I did was tried to make my mom proud.”
Now, he hopes Thursday night’s game in Calgary will show another grieving family they are not alone.
“They lost people who were very important in their lives and we lost someone who was very important to ours,” says Jeremy. “We can help each other out.”
Comments