Rod O'Brien, and Jennifer O'Brien attend a candlelight vigil for missing Calgarians Nathan O'Brien, five, and his grandparents Alvin and Kathryn Liknes in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, July 10, 2014.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
After months of despair and "treading water in a tsunami," the parents of missing five-year-old Nathan O'Brien and his grandparents have found a way to remember their missing family.
Rod and Jennifer O'Brien met with the Calgary media Tuesday for the first time since their son and grandparents disappeared in late June and presumed dead in July. The O'Briens acknowledged how difficult the past five months have been, then announced how someone has reached out to them with a $1-million donation.
The money was provided by U.S. businessman William Neisler, who read what the O'Briens were going through and decided to put money in a trust that will start up the Nathan O'Brien Children's Foundation. Money will then be passed along to deserving children's charities.
Mr. O'Brien spoke about trying to keep afloat in a tsunami and how emotional the experience has been. "We're just crawling back on that beach and looking behind us and figuring out, okay, we have to figure things out here and put this family back together or continue on in a new family," he said.