A Hope mother is appealing to the community for help after a robbery left her struggling to pay rent for her and her teenaged daughters.
Around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, Lorrie Wilson pulled into the Fraser Canyon Hospital parking lot with her daughter. Sabrina, 17, was suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis and needed immediate medical attention.
Wilson dashed into the ER with her daughter and was only gone a few minutes, enough time for a car thief to pry open the passenger door of her van with a crowbar.
Missing from her car was her daughter’s medical bag and Wilson’s wallet with ID cards and $700 in cash, half of her rent money.
“I don’t even remember (if I locked the van) because I was in such a state of my kid comes first, I was panicking at that moment,” she said.
Wilson is now left with a $700 gap in her finances, a difficult thing for a single mother of two teenage daughters with no family support in B.C. Having recently moved out of supportive housing, the family now pays $1,400 in rent.
“It’s expensive, I’m struggling but I’m doing it somehow. But to have that amount taken, half, and for me to come up with that, I’m going to have to use my children’s child tax credit just to help me get out of debt,” Wilson said.
After the incident Osama Hana, or Ohana as he’s known to his customers at the Hope Pharmacy, replaced the medical items Sabrina needed including insulin, needles, blood meter and strips for insulin testing at no cost.
After a neighbour suggested she appeal to the community for help, she set up a Gofundme page. The page has $200 of a $700 goal as of press time.
“For the life of me I never thought I would have to make a Gofundme page and it was all because of some wonderful lady in Hope,” she said, stressing she is not looking for a hand out.
Sabrina is back on track with her diabetes, Wilson said, but her struggle to keep a roof over hers her daughters’ heads continues. She also has a warning for Hope residents.
“I cannot stress enough to people just to be more mindful of leaving things in your vehicle,” she said.