The Tribune

By Rashad Rolle

A FATHER-to-be from the Bahamas was killed in a motorbike collision three days after finding out his wife was pregnant with their twins.

Lavardo Anthon Burrows, 27, who grew up in Pinewood, had been so thrilled about the news of the pregnancy he called his family in the Bahamas and took trips to tell friends.

It was while he was riding his motorbike to his home in Brampton, in Ontario, Canada, after telling a friend about his wife Christine’s pregnancy, that tragedy struck.

A 68-year-old woman in a Toyota Camry drove in front of his bike. Anthon, as he was called by family and friends, struck the side of the woman’s car and was thrown 30 feet away from his bike.

When he landed, his aorta ruptured and his leg was broken. He suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at Brampton Civic Hospital.

Yesterday, a tearful Christine Burrows spoke to The Tribune about the fears and struggles she now faces and recalled her husband’s passion for life and pride at being a Bahamian.

Mrs Burrows, 34, said: “He was a beloved man. Everybody is devastated and can’t believe it happened. Everyone keeps waiting for him to walk through the door or to call back but it’s not going to happen. He loved being around people, loved talking to new people, loved travelling, loved seeing new things. He had so many friends that it’s just unbelievable, like I’m inundated with people offering condolences and with Facebook tributes.”

Mrs Burrows said she fears having a miscarriage because of the stress her husband’s sudden death has caused her.

The couple learned they were expecting twins when they visited a fertility clinic on July 19. It was particularly exciting for them because after many failed attempts, Christine was finally pregnant. The car accident happened on Monday night, July 22.

“Normally you wouldn’t tell people you’re pregnant until you are three months pregnant, but he was so ecstatic he started telling everyone,” said Christine.

Anthon’s sister, Latoya Ferguson, 30, of Cable Beach, recalled the moment Anthon called to tell her and their mother that Christine was pregnant.

Anthon’s gesture in communicating the information to them, she said, was indicative of his spirit.

“He called me up and say ‘T go on Skype’. I said ‘why?’ He asked ‘where mommy’; I say she right here. We went on Skype and my mother said he had a face like he was up to something. On Skype he had a German Shepherd and a sign around the dog’s neck saying ‘The Burrows’ Twins are coming’ and my mother just broke down crying when she saw it. You couldn’t ask for a better person and I’m not just saying that.”

“How am I going to come back to The Bahamas with my children and he’s not there when we visit the Fish Fry and Jaws Beach and who will teach them about the animals and the Bahamas?” asked Christine.

Love for animals was one of Anthon’s defining characteristics, said Christine.

“We owned a dog, a German Shepherd, two cats, a bird and we had two fish ponds in our back yard. He liked animals. We rescued squirrels. We rescued birds. He just had that kind heart. He was caring and that was just him nurturing and loving.”

Mrs Burrows says she now fears a miscarriage.

“I have a fear of losing my baby. I have anxiety over what I am going to do next,” she said.

“Financially we’re a mess. We didn’t have insurance and burying your husband at 27 is ludicrous.

“My next concern is protecting the babies, making sure they’re safe. The very real chance that I will not be able to pay for my house.

“Like, all of these things, I can’t even grieve the loss of my husband because of all the worries I’m dealing with right now. I’m worried about taking care of myself. The funeral expenses are over $15,000. We bought a house together in 2008 so I hope to raise our kids here but there’s a mortgage on it so we have to pay that every month.”

Her husband, she said, “had a million dollar dream” but “all his ideas were unattainable because the money was not there” and “his waterproofing job was a seasonal job.”

Still, Christine says, becoming pregnant with a child for Anthon is something she is grateful for.

“We had lots of highs and lows over the last year with our fertility treatment. He was absolutely ecstatic when he found out we were having kids. He jumped up as I sat in the doctor’s office in shock. He ran out the room and called his mother to share with her the good news because that’s what he always wanted, he wanted twins and that’s what he got.”

Christine met Anthon during a vacation she took in The Bahamas in 2006 with her sister, Jane Angove.

Anthon, from Pinewood, was a marine biologist, a former employee of Atlantis and the boat captain for a week-long snorkelling tour in which the vacationing Canadians participated.

Christine said: “We’ve always travelled back and forth to The Bahamas and normally my sister and I would go there for July 10. It was a big part of what we were. My sister and I have come to love The Bahamas because of him.”

For two years Anthon moved between Canada and The Bahamas. He permanently moved to Canada in 2008.

He returned to the Bahamas when he married Christine, a kindergarten teacher, on December 30, 2009 at Sandyport beach in a ceremony presided over by Pastor Cox of Mount Tabor.

Anthon started his own waterproofing company, BahaTitans, while in Canada.

“He had to keep that Bahamian flavour there,” said Christine of the company’s title. “He was determined to start his own company and he had the ambition and drive to do it.

“He had high hopes for the company and after he passed away I had to cancel a lot of the jobs he had lined up.

“Even though he lived in Canada he was always proud to be Bahamian. And my thing now is that I need to instil that pride in my children and teach them how proud their father was of who he was.”

Anthon’s funeral is on Wednesday.

“We’ve got lots of friends and family. We’re looking at the funeral having about 300 people,” she said.

Christine says through the Association of Bahamians in Canada, Anthon kept in contact with other Bahamians in the country.

He played drums in their band and they will perform at his funeral.

Christine added: “There’s about 15-20 members. Members are going to be in full Junkanoo costume rushing at his funeral. Some of the members of the Valley Boys and Saxons from the Bahamas are coming to Canada to participate as well.”

Ms Ferguson and Mrs Burrows said they were angry because no charges have been laid against the 68-year-old woman driver.

To help defray the expenses she now faces, Mrs Burrows has created a website, www.supportburrowstwins.com, where persons can make donations.