When Cheri Gilmour’s 13-year-old son Demetri was hit by a car as he walked on a crosswalk near his school, people jumped out of their cars and ran from the sidewalks to offer first aid and comfort.
Demetri’s twin sister and a school friend were less seriously injured in the mishap which occurred on Sept. 29 on 208 Street at 48 Avenue.
Gilmour’s life had been a struggle before the accident. Plagued by health challenges, she cannot work and is raising the twins and their brothers, aged five and 10, alone in a Langley City rented apartment.
Now Gilmour is hoping that Good Samaritans will help her and her family, as they struggle to find a new home.
The management company hired by her landlord has won an eviction order, and the family was given until the end of Wednesday (Oct. 27) to move out.
Gilmour said that she has the money, but the arbitrator “didn’t even give me a chance to talk. They didn’t care that Demetri had been in an accident. I have the money (for the rent) but they weren’t interested.”
While Demetri was in Royal Columbian Hospital for five days, Gilmour travelled to and from the hospital every day, spending several hundred dollars on transportation and food for herself and her children.
“We are desperate for somewhere to live,” Gilmour said.
The children are stressed and traumatized, still reeling from the accident and now the prospect of having no home.
“Demetri is feeling it’s his fault,” she said.
Times readers who are interested in helping are asked to call Gilmour at 604 510-4702.