Two Years Later: Sharing Kailynn's Sunshine

Two years ago today, a momentary lapse in judgment changed a number of lives forever.

On August 16, 2018, Kailynn Bursic-Panchuk was driving distracted at the worst possible time, when she collided with a train. As a result of her injuries, she passed away one day after her 17th birthday.

Kailynn's mother, Sandra LaRose, shared how the time has passed from her perspective.

"The 22nd of every month, it was like she's been gone for a month, for two months for six months, she's been gone for a year," shared LaRose. "I sometimes have to shake my head and think it's been two years already."

"So two years is either a long time, or just like yesterday, but it depends on your mood. If I'm having a bad day, it seems like yesterday. If I'm doing fine, you almost forget how long it's been."

LaRose has not been the shadow of her former self, hiding in her grief as anyone would imagine they themselves would do. She has been tirelessly championing causes on Kailynn's behalf ever since her tragic loss.

"I could have lived my life wondering, 'Why? Why was it her?' Being mad at her for looking at her phone," she expressed. "You can go through life like that, but it's going to eat you up. And I don't want to live my life like that. I don't want to live my life completely miserable, and she wouldn't want me to live my life that way either."

LaRose has been public about Kailynn's organ donation, and has been featured in SGI's Distracted Driving campaigns. She has also formed a scholarship for students of Weyburn Comprehensive School.

Now, she has created the Sharing Kailynn's Sunshine Foundation Inc. They have done one fundraiser so far, for Ronald McDonald House, where LaRose stayed in the days following Kailynn's accident.

With the launch of the foundation, LaRose shared about how the death of her daughter made her a better, less self-centred person.

"I mean, I wasn't a bad person before. I just didn't really give outside my circle. Kailynn did, though," she explained. "And I learned a lot of those stories after her accident. The stories that I heard in those five, six days that we were up in Saskatoon, I could probably write a book about her, like all the stuff that I heard."

Learning of her daughter's profoundly giving spirit gave her a new purpose.

"This keeps me going. This keeps me putting one foot in front of the other," LaRose shared. "In the hospital, before they said Kailynn wasn't going to make it, I promised her I would make her proud."

"This is my counselling. This is my healing. This is me living my life for her and myself. She only had 17 years on this earth. I'm going to have more years living without her than living with her. Those years spent living without her I'm going to live for both her and I."

She said while the foundation isn't a physical entity, it's as close as it can be.

"Everything that we do, we keep Kailynn in mind of what she would have done. Is this something she would have worked with? Is this an organization that she would have believed in? That's going to be our focus, everything that we do is going to be done as if Kailynn is standing right here making the decisions."

"Helping is endless, and people need help in many different ways," she commented, noting the formation of the foundation was not as time-consuming as LaRose had thought it would be.

"I rounded up a great group of ladies for my board of directors. Some have known Kailynn and some have not known Kailynn. All know me," she noted. "I've hand picked people who all know me in some aspect, have worked in a positive way with either other non-profit associations, and then of course the ones that knew Kailynn and absolutely adored her."

The board members are Sandra LaRose, Sonja Goff, Brenda Bitz, Hannah Grieve, Tammy Grieve, Amanda LaRose, Danielle Langston, Taryn Zielke, Angie Hicks, and Andrea Moffat.

"The mandate and vision is to spread sunshine to those who need it," LaRose said. "Through fundraising and volunteers. Not just Kailynn's mom begging for money. We are trying to incorporate a volunteer train as well. Kailynn had tons of friends, so we're going to recruit them including me."

She said the foundation is a membership-based charity with a $5 per year membership fee.

"That will help with fundraising and being able to spread the love around," said LaRose.

In the works are a soon-to-launch website, which will include a merchandise store.

"Pre-COVID, I had planned a big fundraiser, like a second fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House," she explained. With the event postponed, the postponed-event's Silent Auction has now become an online auction the weekend of Kailynn's birthday and 'angel-versary'.

The auction is taking place from 8:00 a.m. Friday, August 21st through to 8:00 p.m. Sunday, August 23rd. Proceeds from this auction will go to Ronald Mcdonald House Saskatchewan and to Sharing Kailynn’s Sunshine Foundation Inc.

Find the page HERE and the silent auction group HERE.

The foundation's website soon will be found at www.sharingkailynnssunshine.ca