You know you're talking to someone special when you find out the person has been through massive chemotherapy, radiation, a bone marrow transplant and a devastating home fire in the past 100 days, and her favourite expression is "I've been blessed."
And Laurie Whitmore is indeed special. For the past several years Whitmore has been battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The disease turned aggressive last fall. In January of this year Whitmore's doctor convinced her a bone marrow transplant was her best hope for recovery.
"I was very blessed because it only took six weeks to find a nine-point match [for her marrow] instead of the four to five months the doctors said," she noted.
Whitmore had the transplant on Feb. 9, and a week later she was still largely "out of it" when a telephone call came that filled her with dread.
"I heard my girlfriend say 'is she OK?' I knew something was wrong but my husband and my friend didn't want to tell me what it was," Whitmore said.
The Gibsons' woman's fears proved well founded. Her 24-year-old daughter, Carrie, had unwittingly lit candles placed in wall sconces meant for decoration only. Carrie had fallen asleep, and at 4:30 a.m. she awoke to a bedroom filled with smoke. The young woman began banging on the wall in panic. She couldn't see anything.
Fortunately for all concerned, Carrie's youngest brother, Jesse, 12, was sleeping in the next room. Jesse, thanks to regular fire drills and training at his Cedar Grove School, knew exactly what to do. He managed to get his sister out of the burning room, along with her pets, a dog and a hamster. And he grabbed the fire extinguisher and began to fight the fire until help from the Gibsons' Volunteer Fire Department arrived.
Whitmore's mother, Marion Prentis, credits Jesse with saving his sister's life.
"[Carrie's] face was black with soot when I first saw her. Her little white dog was black and the beige hamster was a sorry sight too," Prentis shared.
The room Carrie had been sleeping in was her parents. Laurie and husband Ed lost all their personal effects in the fire. The Whitmores didn't have insurance.
"All Laurie's clothes, her makeup, her perfume, everything she treasured except her family is gone," Prentis said.
And that's a tough blow for a woman her mom said has always been there for everyone in her family. "Laurie has always been Dear Abby to everybody. Most people would be 'Oh, poor me,' with her problems. I would be, but not Laurie. She a very bubbly person," her mom says proudly.
The past several months have been financially trying ones for the family. Their family income has been cut in half. And while the power line company Laurie worked for is holding her job open for her, she won't be able to work for a long time.
She frets about the effect the money difficulties are having on her husband.
"He's really worried and trying not to show it. I've been with him for 20 years. I know when he's stressed," Laurie explains.
She has applied for a disability pension through Canada Pension, but when the bureaucrats get done with her application, she'll still get only about a third of her former salary.
Now friends and family are helping the Whitmores. A huge fundraiser is planned for June 4 from 6 p.m. to midnight at Victoria Hall, 3435 Victoria Dr., Coquitlam. There will be music, auctions and many other ways you can support the family.
If you're unable to make it to the fundraiser you can donate to the Whitmores at the Royal Bank in Gibsons. Advise the teller you are making a deposit to Laurie Whitmore's account. And if you're in Vancouver, you can make a donation at any VanCity Credit Union branch. The credit union has set up a "personal tragedy" account for Laurie.
Frontline Hosting has also donated their services and built a website: www.lauriewhitmore.com to help the cause. If you have further questions, Whitmore's cousin, Roxanna Dame, can be reached at roxanna@lauriewhitmore.com. Or you can read more about Laurie on the website. In the meantime, friends and family will continue to be a blessing to this inspiring woman.
