A grieving grandmother has started an online fundraising campaign to help see her grandsons and their father in Prince George get through a difficult situation.
On Monday, Amanda Le Brun started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help her son-in-law Justin deal with the loss of his wife Nicole, who died in Prince George on Sept. 17, leaving him as a single parent to their sons Williams, 4, and Liam, 2.
Nicole’s death came two weeks after Justin’s mother died suddenly. He took time off his job as a logger but has had to return to work, leaving his sons in the care of family members.
“I live five hours away from my grandsons, their father Justin is in need of immediate financial support for childcare expenses that will be needed for years to come,” wrote LeBrun in the GoFundMe posting. “Justin’s job requires him to work away from home but due to the recent loss of his mother and now the loss of his children’s mommy, he was unable to work, causing a financial burden.
“The boys have been temporarily separated by an eight-hour drive, Liam is with Nicole's father (in Prince George) and William is with me as Justin had to return to work. We are dealing with putting Nicole, my only child, to rest, memorial costs and the stress of figuring out how to move forward with childcare solutions, expenses and the possibility of Justin having to change jobs and relocate their home.
“I am reaching out to anyone who is able to donate financial help for William and Liam’s care and the unknown future without their mommy.”
Former Prince George mayor Colin Kinsley got to know Les Clarke, Le Brun’s husband, in 1976 when they were stock car racing in the super stock clash. He and his wife Laura became good friends with Clarke and Le Brun, who used to live in Quesnel and are now based in Barriere.
“These kids are two and four – it’s a sad story and an ongoing story,” said Kinsley, who donated $500.
“They need help with childcare because the grandparents don’t live anywhere near Prince George and their other grandmother had a heart attack and passed away two weeks before this happened.
“I hope people can throw in whatever little bit they can to help them move forward through this. Every ten bucks helps.”
The goal of the campaign is to raise $50,000. As of Thursday morning the total had reached $3,000.
