‘Like a death sentence’: Christmas not the same for Luna’s family

The mother of a Gold Coast toddler who died after being hit by a car last December says Christmas will always “feel like a death sentence”.

Luna Matenga (pictured), 3, of Ormeau, was rushed to hospital after she was hit by a car on December 20 while trying to cross a local road, but later died in hospital.

Jessica Feeney said the anniversary of three-year-old Luna’s death was an extremely challenging time for the family, who were trying to be “gentle” and “take things slow” as they navigated life without little Luna.

“We do a lot of holistic healing and religiously go to therapy … we are trying to move forward without breaking,” she said.

Ms Feeney and her partner Timi have taken the last year off work to focus on their mental health and family unit.

“I feel like when you have such a tragedy happen in your life it makes it tenfold when you go straight back to work or straight back to normality … taking time off was vital to our survival,” she said.

She said this accident has been “soul destroying” as the family continue to navigate life with their 18-month-old son Mars but without Luna.

“It takes a toll on us and our relationships … we haven’t been able to go to theme parks and we don’t take Marsy to swimming lessons – all the things we used to do with Luna as hands on parents because we have found it’s too triggering for us,” she said.

“My mum and sister take Marsy to swimming lessons and our family and friends take him to theme parks so he doesn’t miss out,” she said.

Ms Feeney and her partner also have two other teenage children in Sydney but have not been able to see them since Luna’s accident due to border restrictions.

Ms Feeney created the Luna Capri Foundation in March to honour Luna and provide a positive educational framework on grief, loss and trauma for childcare centres and primary schools across Australia.

“A lot of our friend’s children struggle with the concept of losing Luna because you are told your whole life that only old people die,” she said,

Follow Jessica Feeney’s journey on her Instagram page @jessicafeeney and read more about their story at the Luna Capri Foundation website.