Justice for Thomas

Zooming through Long Island’s Arthur J. Hendrickson Park on his beloved scooter, Thomas Valva loved observing ripples in the park’s Valley Stream pond. The 8-year-old had overcome a fear of water and relished his aquatic bravery, playing in the ocean whenever he got the chance to visit nearby beaches. “He loved jumping in the waves,” says his mum, Justyna Zubko-Valva. “The beach was his favourite place.” Diagnosed with autism at 3, Thomas sometimes had trouble socialising with others, but he was making progress there as well. He learnt to share the toy cars that he delighted in lining up and carrying around with him everywhere he went. “Once he got to know someone,” his mother says, “he shared his love.”

But the little boy who had come so far in his short life tragically couldn’t