Every little bit helps

Hi, my name is Dawn and I am raising funds to help my sister, Kim Gillingham, and her family who lost everything in an unexpected overnight flood. Kim is the survivor of a double lung transplant during COVID & is unable to stay at the emergency shelter that is in place for people affected in her community as her immune system is compromised. Kim has a lot of medication she has to take and has special food as a result of this medication. The food is expensive and she has lost her food pump, boxes of food & months if medication.

On Saturday July 21 she was woken by her treadmill - it had started by itself in the middle of the night. When she went to investigate she noted there was water on the floor and it was raising rapidly. She unplugged the machine and went back upstairs to call her husband who was on the way to work.. he was unable to return as the roads were closed.

Shortly after the phone call she opened to door to see her local fire department at the end of her driveway looking in towards the disappearing house in disbelief. As two firemen stayed on the roadway and local hero Logan Hope trudged through the rapidly raising water (driveway was now being washed away) to get to my sister. As Logan reached my sister he grabbed onto her and they were both swept away by the rapidly moving water. This water was full of mud, rocks, trees, chunks of a local bridge, asphalt, logs and everything else was demolished along the way and was now a raging river of chaos. Logan was tied onto the other rescuers and they tumbled over and over approximately 300 - 500 m down this new river of chaos, a fight for their life! Logan never let go of my sister and because of that she’s alive!!! My sister has a broken leg, broken knee and several deep lacerations and bruising covering her whole body. The force of the water stripped her clothes off (only a T-shirt remained) and ripped her engagement ring off her finger. As their tumbling ordeal came to a rest now they had to be rescued from there small reprieve location. A crane & basket was used to pluck them them from the waters as the road was gone and two bridges were ripped away. I am so very grateful for Logan who risked his life to save my sister.

Although my sister has house insurance & has had it for over 40 years - paying faithfully - she is NOT COVERED. (Act of God) I know the Nova Scotia Goverment will help in time but until then we have to pay for her hotel, get a new food macerating pump, special food, medication, some clothing for her husband to go to work & general incidentals.

Thank you for your help - every bit adds up.