Moms share bond of love & tragedy
They were united in friendship and now share unspeakable grief.
The two moms who each lost a child in Monday’s Park Slope accident are such close friends that one of them — Broadway actress Ruthie Ann Miles — gave a shoutout to the other in her Tony Award acceptance speech.
“I could fall and never hit the ground because of the amazing women who are my friends behind me,” Miles said after winning the Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of Lady Thiang in “The King and I’’ in 2015.
Miles, 34, then rattled off names, including Lauren Lew, 33. Lew and Miles were returning, each with a kid in tow, from a weekly mothers’ prayer group at a local church Monday when tragedy struck.
The moms, who live about five blocks from each other, were injured while Lew’s 1-year-old son, Joshua, and Miles’ 4-year-old daughter, Abigail, were killed when an out-of-control driver struck them in the crosswalk at Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue. Both Miles, who is pregnant, and Lew remain in stable condition.
Broadway stars from Lin-Manuel Miranda to Audra McDonald and Kristin Chenoweth flooded social media with condolences.
“Sending love to you and your family. There are no words. Except you are loved,” Chenoweth tweeted.
Miranda and others included a GoFundMe page link for Miles’ family that had reached more than $260,000 by Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, at the scene of the tragedy, dozens of people lit votive candles and left items such as flowers and religious statues.
“I was in shock . . . so I put a toy in memory of these poor children and God help their mothers by losing their children,” said Helen Ross, 59. “It’s a tragic accident. Accidents happen and you never know — shows you how to appreciate each day.”
Two days before the crash, Miles praised Apple Support for helping recover photos of her daughter.
“Yesterday they helped me recover #3500 lost photos/videos (mostly of Abby from birth-2yo!)” the mom wrote on Twitter.
Lew, a physician’s assistant, and her husband, a medical resident, also have a younger son.