"Something really awful happened and I need to not pretend it didn't.

I lost my entire family and it's ugly." - Cristina Pastia

 

​In September 2009, when Cristina was 20 years old, her parents never returned from a vacation to Romania. The local authorities said her mother was murdered, but there were discrepancies about how her father died, leaving many unanswered questions.​

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As shocking and distressing as this extraordinary event was, one of the few benefits that emerged for Cristina was her capability of becoming a more effective support worker. In fact, she was awarded the Terry Fox gold medal for courage in the face of adversity. Most recently, on the BCVOH website, she created a manual for other victims of homicide loss so that they can find financial resources available for them.  ​