'She speaks our children's names': Jenny Morrison's unbreakable friendship with Leila Abdallah and Bridget Sakr

It was 4am when Jenny Morrison woke to an exciting text message from Leila Abdallah.

"I was up to go to the bathroom and I could see I had a message, I checked and it was Leila saying she was in labour," Jenny recalls. "So I sent a message back, letting her know I was thinking of her and hoping everything went well, and I got back into bed.

"Then my phone starts buzzing and Leila was FaceTiming me between contractions. She was whispering, 'Hi, I'm in labour'. I woke up and turned the light on because I could see her in the hospital, but she could only see pitch black."

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The pair laugh as they recall their early morning video call that came just hours before the birth of Leila's seventh child, a baby girl named Selina, in March.

"I had the epidural and I was so excited and happy, I just wanted to chat," Leila says.

Jenny, Leila and Bridget Sakr spoke to 9Honey Parenting this week ahead of Mother's Day to highlight the importance of friendship and faith when dealing with a heartache no parent should ever have to face and that will never go away.

As the wife of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Jenny met the Abdallah and Sakr families days after the tragic loss of Leila's children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna, eight, and Bridget's daughter Veronique, 11, who were killed by an out-of-control drunk and drugged driver in a horrific crash that shocked the nation in February 2020.

As hearts broke for the Abdallah and Sakr families, Jenny supported them in their grief by attending the children's funerals on behalf of the Prime Minister, who was not in Sydney at the time.

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Although Leila and Bridget were drowning in sadness as they buried Antony, Angelina, Sienna and Veronique, they were both taken by the Jenny's "warmth, humility and faith" at their first meeting.

"I was very touched to have the Prime Minister's wife come to Veronique's funeral when she didn't know our family, and she came dressed in Veronique's favourite colour, blue," Bridget says.

"Faith is very important for our family, and when you are hit with tragedy like we were, it becomes even more important.

"We knew Jenny was a woman of faith, and that connection to faith embedded our relationship straight away, but Jenny's humility and her warmth also attracted me to her. There was an immediate connection from one mother's heart to another."

"She acknowledges our children and speaks their names."

Leila remembers Jenny's "warm hug" at her children's funeral and says the support the Morrison family has continued to show her family in the years since the loss has cemented their place in her family's heart.

"We love them with all our hearts," she says of the Morrison family. "They welcomed us into their home, they helped us launch i4Give Day and Jenny is always checking in with me.

"She was there for me when our house was robbed and she called just this week when she knew there was an appeal happening at court. "

As Bridget and Leila speak Jenny's praises, the prime minister's wife looks a little uncomfortable and is eager to, politely, interrupt them. She is adamant she is the one who has gained the most out of their friendship.

In fact, she says meeting Leila and Bridget, although in tragic circumstances, has been the "best thing about being the wife of the prime minister".

"If I hadn't been representing Scott at the funerals that day, I would never have met these wonderful women and have them and their families in our family's life. I will always be grateful for that," she said.

"I've learned so much from them about how to walk on this earth a little bit more mindful of other people and and what they're going through. They're both an incredible inspiration.

"They're smart and beautiful, and eloquent, and they love their kids. You know, they are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful people. I can't I can't speak highly enough of them."

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No matter what the future holds politically for the Morrison family, one thing is certain ¨C their friendship with the Abdallah and Sakr families will last a lifetime. Bridget says that is because Jenny does something many others fail to do.

"Without wanting to sound awful, when a tragedy like this happens, you expect certain people to be there for you, but they are not. Jenny is someone who has been there for us every step of the way," Bridget says.

"Most importantly, she speaks our children's names. We miss our children every day and we will grieve for them forever, I've come to accept that as grief is the price you pay for love.

"But in our society people don't speak about the person who is gone, Jenny does that. She talks about our children, uses their names and acknowledges that although they are not physically here, they will always be with us."

Today, as Bridget and Leila face another Mother's Day without the children that were taken from their lives way too early, they will visit their graves, spend time with family and be kind to themselves.

They will also remain thankful for everything they have ¨C including friendships like Jenny's that have helped them through with the unthinkable.

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