I just went and looked at the Flash presentation on the SignOnSanDiego site, and Brenda looks okay to me up until Feb. 26 when DW pleaded not guilty. In court that day, she looks awful, and in every picture after that. In all the photos before 2/26, though, she looks pretty good (IMO).
It takes more than a few weeks to look that bad. Many years ago, I had some stress that lasted a while, & I
didn't look any different. Just felt bad. That was the
last time, I allowed anything (no matter what it was!) to stress me out.
I can't find that flash presentation at http/www.sandiego.com. Can you please give us the direct link?
While searching, I found the following article. I am posting it here for a record of the little girls Danielle played with. WERE THEY QUESTIONED by the Defense? Sure would like to know the answer to that one.
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Danielle mourned in tearful service
KENNETH MA
Staff Writer
LA JOLLA ---- Sara Call, Hana Jaffe and Danielle van Dam were inseparable.
The three best friends, who lived in Sabre Springs and attended Creekside Elementary School, would put on glossy makeup together, dress up like models, and sleep over at one another's houses. They were enthusiastic about art, enjoyed taking camping trips, and sold Girl Scout cookies to raise money for their local Brownie troop.
"We liked the same things and always played together," said Sara, a 7-year-old second-grader.
On Saturday, more than two weeks after Danielle's body was discovered beside a rural road in Dehesa, Sara and Hana shared their memories as they mourned their murdered friend with at least 1,000 other people during a memorial service at La Jolla Shores.
Danielle, 7, was last seen alive Feb. 1 when her father, Damon van Dam, 36, tucked her into bed at their Sabre Springs home. A neighbor, David Westerfield, 50, has been ordered by a San Diego Superior Court judge to stand trial for allegedly kidnapping and killing the second-grader. His next court appearance is March 28.
"I miss her a lot," Sara said Saturday, remembering her friend. "I love her so much."
Hana said, "I've been crying a lot and sleeping in my parents' room because I was a little scared."
A tearful remembrance
What was supposed to have been a memorial service to celebrate Danielle's life turned out to be a solemn, tearful event in which mourners braved chilly temperatures and strong winds to say goodbye to the little girl who captured their hearts during the last six weeks.
Before the service began, wind-swept waves off the Pacific Ocean pounded a nearby beach as showers passed over the grassy park and threatened to ruin the event.
Brenda and Damon van Dam, Danielle's parents, arrived with their sons, Derek, 9, and Dylan, 5, shortly before the hour-long service began at 10 a.m. They sat in the front row, embracing one another and wiping away tears.
In front of them was a large framed picture of a smiling Danielle in a white-lace dress. The outdoor stage was adorned with flowers and pink and purple balloons, Danielle's favorite colors.
The van Dam family sat unbowed, but their faces were overcome with emotion.
"If I only have one thing to say, it would be please do not take one moment of your child's life for granted," Brenda van Dam, 39, told the mourners. "I feel that Danielle's life was way too short."
She thanked family, friends and the thousands of law enforcement personnel and volunteer searchers who spent long hours scouring barren desert terrain from Mexico to east San Diego and Imperial counties for her little girl.
A grief-stricken Damon van Dam wept several times as he read an excerpt about his daughter.
"Seven years ago, God sent us an angel," he said. "Although we will never know why he took her so soon, and our hearts may never mend, we will always cherish the time we spent with her."
The family held each other tightly as Sarah McLachlan's song "Angel" was sung as a memorial to Danielle. The song was often played on a video depicting a playful Danielle that was sent to TV stations during her disappearance.
Sweet and caring
At Saturday's service, family and friends remembered Danielle as a caring and giving person who loved to play with her friends and her brothers. They said she would spend hours writing in her journal and teaching her little brother, Dylan, how to read.
Other loved ones described her in the following ways:
She enjoyed going to school and taking trips to the park and the beach, as well as family vacations and hiking the dry canyons near her home. Danielle was curious about trying new foods, although her favorites were Chinese and Mexican.
At home, the little girl helped her mom and dad with household chores. She and Damon van Dam would spend time in the garage building things out of wood. She was Brenda van Dam's helper in the kitchen.
"For some mysterious reason, we all feel like Danielle was our own child," the Rev. Joseph Acton said. "Something in her brought out something in us that wanted to protect her. I believe Danielle has inspired us to fight against the darkness ---- the darkness that creeps into our neighborhoods and homes."
Carlsbad resident Gayle Quirk, 50, said she spent two days as a volunteer searcher looking for Danielle.
"I didn't know her, but she seemed to be a sweet child," she said. "How it ended was really heart-wrenching. My heart goes out to her family."
Joseph Nemes, 41, of Spring Valley said he joined the five-member volunteer search party that found Danielle's body because his heart was aching to help
"It was like someone ripped my heart out of my chest," Nemes said of the group's discovery.
Friends say goodbye
Several of Danielle's friends wrote touching eulogies that were read aloud to mourners.
"I know you are happy in heaven now," friend Sara wrote. "I will remember you forever and ever. Thanks for being one of my best friends."
Rachel Hagwood wrote about Danielle's kindness, her popularity, and the fact that she didn't ignore anyone.
"She helped me go to the nurse when I got hurt, (and) she would play with me on the monkey bars on the big playground," Rachel wrote. "I liked her very, very much, and I'm sad that she was missing and that she died."
Her Brownie troop friend Hana wrote about the deep sadness she experienced after Danielle was reported missing.
"When I first heard you were gone, my heart sank to my stomach and it hurt so much," she wrote. "Every night, I think about you. If you were here right now, I would tell you I love you."
Several white doves were released near the end of the service, followed by the release of dozens of pink and purple balloons into the air. The crowd wept and embraced one another as the balloons soared into the sky.
Staff writer Katie Burns contributed to this report.
Contact staff writers Kenneth Ma (760) 740-3524 or
kma@nctimes.com and Katie Burns at (760) 740-5420 or
kburns@nctimes.com.
3/17/02