‘I just started to cry in relief’
Snowed-in couple recuperating from surgery, aided by military
Carolann Harris of St. John’s awoke Tuesday morning to the sound of shovelling in her driveway. She looked out her window and broke into tears.
“There was a team of military just shovelling our driveway. I just started to cry in relief,” she said during a phone interview that evening.
The provincial government requested help from the Canadian Armed Forces following a severe winter storm last Friday that brought 70-plus centimetres of snow, blocking roads, leaving vehicles buried and trapping people in their homes.
The city, as well as other areas severely affected by the storm, was quick to declare a state of emergency.
Military men and women started conducting house checks, helping with snow removal and ensuring seniors and other vulnerable people were looked after.
Harris and her husband, Chris Harris, certainly fit that bill. Chris has a rare autoimmune disease called Goodpasture syndrome, which led to kidney failure.
Harris donated a kidney to her husband on Dec. 5, 2019. The surgery took place at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax. They returned home on Dec. 17 and are continuing to recover from their surgeries.
Neither Chris nor Carolann can do any heavy lifting, leaving them unable to tackle their driveway after the storm.
“Our 14-year-old (Anthony Slade) did what he could . ... He kept the steps cleared ... but there was just too much snow in the driveway for one kid to do alone,” Harris said.
Although her husband is doing well, she said, “he is still very much in the danger zone.”
“If anything goes wrong, it’s a matter of minutes of us getting him help.”
It has been nerve-wracking, she said, thinking about what could happen if an ambulance was needed and the driveway remained blocked with snow.
“Every night, we’ve been going to bed not knowing, heaven forbid, if something happened to Chris that required me to call an ambulance, they’re going to tack on half an hour or 45 minutes just trying to get him out of my house. And that could mean the difference between life or death.”
On Monday, Harris called a phone number (709-729-3703) the provincial government has in place for non-emergency calls for assistance. She was placed on the list and was told help would come.
That helped arrived early the next morning.
When it came to shovelling the heavy, drifted show, the military knew what they were doing, Harris said.
“They formed a line and there was always one taking a break. When someone else got tired, the person who had their break would get back in so none of them would wear themselves out. But they were all definitely working hard.”
As a token of the family’s appreciation, she said, her 12-yearold daughter, Abby (Slade), gave their helpers homemade cupcakes.
“They were more than happy to be here to help. And I’m more than grateful that they are here,” Harris said.
She is also grateful to neighbours for shovelling a path to her door after the storm subsided.
This family doesn’t have far to look to see how people come together to help in a time of need.
“We’re still feeling the financial burden from the transplant. We had two neighbourhood ladies show up at our door today with groceries that we would not have been able to get. There’s a lot of good going on in the city right now,” she said, her voice breaking.
And, thanks to Canadian Forces personnel who showed up at her door with kindness in their hearts and shovels in their hands, the couple headed to bed Tuesday evening in a much better frame of mind.
“Tonight, I can go to sleep knowing an ambulance can pull into my driveway if I need it. It’s like I can breathe without feeling like there’s a 50-pound weight on my chest . ... I don’t feel like I have to be on alert for signs that something’s wrong with Chris or myself . ... I feel lighter.”
As of Wednesday, the city’s state of emergency remained in effect.