Thank you to everyone who helped after fire
On March 7, our adult son was in a fire. He suffered a number of severe burns and sadly lost his small companion dog. As a family we were devastated, traumatized and worried about our son’s recovery. We are grateful for all those who have assisted us in the last few weeks to put our lives back together and in the midst of a pandemic. Our son’s burns are healing well and we as a family are also putting one foot in front of the other. We recognize however, that we have received an incredible amount of support and generosity to get to this point and we wish to acknowledge some of the key people who have contributed to our healing.
First, we wish to thank the first responders who were on the scene within minutes of the first 911 call. The Shawnigan Fire Department was incredible and the ambulance attendants were on site very quickly as well and saved our son’s life. We know there were paramedics who also tried diligently to save his dog’s life. We are so incredibly grateful to Fire Chief Keith Shields and his department and to those paramedics who took our son to the Jubilee Hospital Emergency and burn clinic.
Immediately after the fire, we began to receive donations, generosity and prayers which have helped him and ourselves to rebuild our lives. There are so many individuals and organizations to thank and we wish to highlight some including the members of the Malahat Legion #134 in Shawnigan Lake. Members of the Legion were instrumental in gathering donations such as furniture, housewares, clothing and financial support for our son, who lost everything in the fire. We also wish to acknowledge the University of Victoria School of Social Work faculty and staff and the director at the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement who also coordinated donations. The Cowichan Brain Injury Society needs special mention as they have provided care and accommodations during our time of crisis.
Many family and friends, too numerous to name individually sent financial donations and items such as masks to attend hospital visits. You know who you are and your kindness will not be forgotten as you made our lives a bit easier to face in the days following the fire.
It is during times like these that we feel the love and support of who our friends truly are. To each of you we say a big thank you and wish each of you many blessings, during this time when we can’t hug you or shake your hand. Please know however that we have your names and generosity engraved in our hearts and we are truly grateful. Thank you seems like a small thing to state. Take care of each other and stay safe.
Grateful in Cobble Hill
Jeannine Carriere