Written by Michelle Carre, Airdrie Angel
My husband, Matt, and I first heard Shanna’s story last summer. I had never met Shanna. I didn’t know the girls. But the story broke my heart. I could not stop thinking about these two little girls and their brave mom.
In 2013, we created a program called Airdrie Angel. The goal of our program is to lift the spirits of someone going through a difficult time through no fault of their own. Shanna was nominated an overwhelming number of times. In fact, so many people had reached out to us for help that we received half a dozen nominations – which is more than we’ve ever had for an individual candidate.
She was a perfect candidate for our support but when I thought about our monthly package, it just didn’t feel like enough. This will be a long and challenging journey and she needs ongoing support and a plan for the future. As a mom, and community member, I wanted to do more.
Around the same time she was nominated, we received a call from Shanna’s sister, Jodi. At the time, Jodi was not aware of the Airdrie Angel nominations, she had contacted Matt for real estate services. She told him about her sister and neices. She had asked him to find a one story house as close to her current home as possible. Shanna currently has a 2 storey home in a community that she loves.
Matt got to work right away looking for a single story home with three bedrooms that would suit their needs. These homes are not easy to come by in Airdrie but one did, it was in the right area, it was the right size and had great potential.
But here’s the thing. It had “potential”. We were not going to find a home that was equipped for what they would need. Any house would require accessibility upgrades. When we got to thinking about the money she would need for a renovation, the project was too much. That’s when the Carre group decided to waive real estate fees. Then the Airdrie Angel program called some local businesses for favours – and it became clear. Airdrie Angel could help connect local business with this opportunity to help a family in need. Through great relationships and big hearts in our community we’ve been able to secure a lot of what we need to make an accessible home for Shanna and the girls a reality. And we are working hard to find more.
Matt and I are fortunate that our family is healthy but we also know how quickly that can change. Although I haven’t walked her shoes, as a Mother I can empathize with what it must be like to search for answers and then when one is finally given, it is life changing.
I can’t change the diagnosis and although I wish I could stop the progression of FA for the girls, I can’t. What I can do is lead an amazing group of people to renovate a house that will support the family through the inevitable changes that lie ahead. I can help build a house so that Shanna, Kadence and Addison can create a home and build a life.
Airdrie Angel will be at the Airdrie Home and Lifestyle show this weekend with information on the house and the program. Please stop by, say hello and enter to win an Ampossible necklace designed by Kadence and Addison.
Michelle Carre
Click here to learn more about Kadence and Addison. To donate, click here.
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