'We lost our baby': Family remembers Chilliwack crash victims

Friday would have been Layna Brown's 40th birthday. Instead, it was a day family members spent at B.C. Children's Hospital, as her eight-year-old son Tristan Dyck fights for his life.

Brown and her other son Dominic Dyck, also eight, died in a car crash Tuesday, while they were on their way to celebrate her birthday in Kelowna, where her parents live.

"This is not real," said a sobbing Christy Brown, Layna's mother, describing how she felt when she received the news.

"This is not my girl. I can hear in the background, 'It’s Layna Brown, deceased … one of the boys, we don’t know which one is deceased and the other one has gone to the hospital,' and I thought, 'It’s not us. It’s not our kids.'"

Layna Brown leaves behind her husband Cory Dyck, who has not left Tristan's bedside since the crash, as the boy has undergone various surgeries.

"He doesn't know about his mother and his brother yet, which is very difficult for everybody," said Kevin Brown, Layna's father.

"We are struggling with the idea of telling him."

Christy Brown describes the grieving process as filled with “ups and downs,” and said the grief extends beyond the two families.

“They were part of such a vibrant, active community," Christy Brown said. "As far as us as a family, she’s our baby. We lost our baby.”

The boys are twins, but couldn’t be more different, according to family. Both were active members of the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey League, where Dominic’s teammates recently paid tribute to his number – 9.

“That is posted on Tristan’s wall so he can see it. He breathes, sleeps, eats hockey, so we try to find something for him to be excited about,” says Christy Brown.

Dominic Dyck's teammates recently paid tribute to his number 9. (Samara Brown)

A lasting legacy

Layna was also active in the hockey league, often volunteering when not working at her serving job at the Big Feast in Maple Ridge or pursuing her passion for art.

Jordan Emmerson, the league's general manager, said Brown and her two boys are examples of outstanding members of the community.

“From the moment Cory and Layna registered their boys, they began volunteering right away," Emmerson said. "Anytime we needed help, they were there, they put their hands up.”

Emmerson says the family always prioritized the benefit of the kids, saying they were “tremendous people to be around.”

“I am still in shock. I think we all are. Right now, I think we are just in a state of doing what we can do help the family. It’s a big loss for our community,” he said.

He is directing the public to an online fundraiser to give back to the family as they grieve and says the family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support.

"I can say on behalf of Cory and my mom and my dad, we are absolutely overwhelmingly grateful for all the support and help from everybody," said Samara Brown, Layna’s sister.

The twin boys were active members of the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey League, and their parents were regular volunteers for the league. (Samara Brown)

'She was always alive'

Christy Brown remembers her daughter as a loving, giving, and empathetic woman. She frequently volunteered overseas – travelling around the world to help others.

“She did mission trips, she went to Ghana, Liberia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras. She did it all," she said.

Christy Brown says from the moment she was born she was "alert" and had big eyes, seeing and feeling everything.

Layna Brown travelled the world helping others, according to her mother. (Samara Brown)

“She sees the pain on the person, when someone is trying to hide it," Christy Brown said. "She would see an old rusty station wagon when she was younger … She would say, 'Mummy when I grow older, I will buy that person a new car.'”

Christy Brown recounts memories of her daughter as an avid reader, a creator, often journalling and spending time envelopped in her art. The family created a scrapbook of memories and anecdotes for Layna for her 40th birthday, something that is now more treasured than ever.

“All of the people that I could get around me, all the family, they each had their page. Dominic wrote a phrase, 'Mummy let’s always smile together because life is happy.'”

The crash is still under investigation, though initial information suggests an obstruction – a ladder – on Highway 1 led to the chain-reaction collision.

For now, the family plans to eat Layna’s favourite food, tacos, and recount memories to celebrate her birthday.