Step 'WRIGHT' Up!

My name is Sarah Wood and I'm approaching my hometown to rally around a family in our tight-knit community. The unexpected happened back in February of this year when 26-year-old Early Educator Erin Wright had surgery to remove a large tumor in her spinal cord. The single mother of a beautiful four-year-old put her faith in her doctors and underwent an all-day operation to have it removed. It did not come without risks and unfortunately, nerve damage and loss of movement in her right leg were the outcomes. Erin has endured great pain and sacrifice, having been recovering in hospital and now at rehab in Halifax for the last two months as she relearns to walk…her young life put on hold while she fights to regain her freedoms.

As if this is not enough for one family to endure, the unthinkable happened this past weekend when older sister Holly, stand-in surrogate mother to Erin’s daughter and well-loved educator at Bass River Elementary, was stricken with a yet undiagnosed illness that has rendered her incapacitated. Thirty-year-old Holly is currently in our Truro hospital in a medically sustained state of unconsciousness while the family awaits answers.

An already impossible situation has become that much more difficult as Michael Ann and Chip Wright, parents of Holly and Erin, are now volleying between both Halifax and the ICU here in Truro trying to support one daughter while sitting bedside at the other. Add in the full-time parenting duties of their granddaughter and jobs of their own…this is a private hell of epic proportions.

The financial burden has been great as Michael Ann stepped away from her RN duties here in Truro to nurse Erin through her recovery. This family has been running the roads, living off and on at Air BnB’s and floating their daughter’s expenses this last while. There are mortgages, student loans and car payments to be made. I think anyone can appreciate that unexpected expenses these days can derail a family pretty quickly.

As educators, a nurse and a perennial Century Honda employee and long-standing volunteer (Chip has an extensive history with the Jr A Bearcats and is a former volunteer firefighter)…this family is known for giving, for caring, for comforting…for being the helpers in our community. Some people aren’t good at asking for help because they’re so used to being ‘the helper’. Let’s take some of the stress away from the Wrights so that they can focus on what really matters…each other.