“It was a shock, she wasn’t just my sister, she was my best friend,” Andrea says.
Andrea lost her mother and sister within two days of each other last January.
“It started off as a cold for my sister,” Andrea, 68, said. “We all thought it would go away, but when it didn’t, I knew something was wrong. She had COVID, and I was calling her every day telling her to go to the hospital. I finally called 911, and the last thing I said to her when the ambulance was taking her was, ‘I’ll take care of your cats and I’ll see you soon,’ but she died three days later.”
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“It was a shock, she wasn’t just my sister, she was my best friend,” Andrea said.
Andrea says her daughter has also been experiencing health problems this year. She hopes the Montreal Gazette Christmas Fund will help make this year a little brighter for her and her daughter.
“We’re both having a bit of a rough time right now,” Andrea said. “We both just want a nice Christmas this year.”
Andrea says their Christmas tradition is a family supper hosted at her daughter’s house with her daughter’s children.
“I always help out my daughter for this supper,” Andrea said. “But this year, she’s finding herself in a little bit of a rut, so I want to help put money toward this Christmas meal. We always look forward to it.”
“I’m grateful for the cheque, but I feel like I don’t deserve it. I feel like there’s others who deserve it more than me, but it makes me feel good nonetheless, it’s less stress for us and it’s a big help.”
How to help
This article is representative of the people your donations will be helping. Because of resource limitations and privacy restrictions, the Montreal Gazette cannot accept non-monetary contributions. Donations to the Christmas Fund can be made online at www.christmasfund.com. Please direct all inquiries to christmasfundinquiries@postmedia.com.
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