Shelly Aston buried both of her daughters after they were hit and killed by a car in May. Wednesday, she held a public memorial to honor her children. Her daughters were hit just down the street from their home and month later, you can still see the memorial there. Wednesday would have been Shayla's fifth birthday and Thursday Shianna's 7th brithday.
Hearing the "Happy Birthday" song is usually followed by hopes and dreams for the future. But this one is more of a goodbye.
"I hope they know that mommy loves and misses them very much," said Aston.
The lives of the two young girls ended suddenly in May after police say 56-year-old Leroy Hoover hit them with his car.
"He took my little girls lives and my world stopped," said Aston.
But Aston told FOX 28 that Hoover can't take away her memories. That's why she held a public ceremony at the Angel of Hope Memorial Garden in South Bend's Pinhook Park for parents who've lost a child.
"The brick reads Shianna and Shayla always and forever. Love, mommy. They said I could get a couple of bricks if I wanted but they were always together so I thought they should be on one," said Aston.
Friends and family members came to say goodbye.
"Cause they were kind of like the same age as me... I went to their birthday party," said Katelyn Harney, a friend of the Aston sisters.
Even those who didn't know the Aston sisters came to pay their respects.
"I just couldn't imagine...I lost one, I couldn't imagine loosing two at the same time," said one mourner.
But that is Aston's everyday reality.
"It's a nightmare that I can never wake up from," said Aston.
Aston says she'll continue to remember her daughters and she wishes she could say one last thing to them.
"Just do the butterfly kisses, the Eskimo kisses, and big bear hugs and tell them how much I love them," said Aston.
Shelly Aston says she's on her way to a statewide organ donor memorial dinner this Saturday. Her younger daughter Shayla was an organ donor. Aston says she also hopes to work with lawmakers for tougher laws for crimes against children.
Reporter: Nadia Crow
