When Kory and Renee Bradshaw lost their home in a fire June 20, they found out from his hospital room in Toronto where he had been waiting for a double lung transplant.
Having lost everything that was in their Chute Lake Rd. mobile home to the blaze, there is now new hope: Kory, who is living with Cystic Fibrosis, had a double lung transplant last week and a fundraising campaign for the couple has also nearly raised $25,000.
Neighbour Elizabeth Sheyev spearheaded the Go Fund Me campaign because the community wanted to help.
“The Kelowna Fire Department charity right after the fire put in $500,” Sheyev said. “There’s been some amazing donations but we still need a few thousand more.”
The Bradshaw’s have been renting an apartment in Toronto near the hospital for $5,000 a month as the 40-year-old waited for the life-saving surgery. They’re also still paying a mortgage on their Kelowna home that was destroyed by fire. They were insured for the blaze.
“They are so grateful and absolutely bewildered and astonished at the help,” Sheyev said. “They expect nothing.”
Sheyev said she’s heard the transplant surgery went very well and the couple will be able to return to Kelowna in three months following transplant monitoring.
“New lungs. New home. Start a new life,” Sheyev said, adding the neighbourhood will be there to welcome them home.