The Editor,
We want to tell you a story about something that recently happened. On Jan. 26, our son and brother, Angus Broberg-Hull, was tragically killed in an accident.
As you can imagine, our lives imploded.
But in the following days, we found a community of people in the Tri-Cities whose acts of kindness to our family will never be forgotten. The part that is most unusual is that we didn’t know these people.
There are many stories: There were hugs from complete strangers in the lineup at Thrifty’s; an assistant manager named Mohsen at the 7-Eleven at Guildford Way and Lansdowne Drive who did not know our story but whose kindnesses saved us in several very dark moments; and a couple — Sean (Shawn? Shaun?) and his wife — who live in Suter Brook, who drove an hour out of their way on a dark and rainy night for two complete strangers.
Let me tell you about Sean and his wife. My in-laws, Ashley and Gene, were arriving from New York to be with us but my husband and I had to meet with a family member to go over the organization of Angus’ service. So my in-laws took SkyTrain from the airport, then West Coast Express to Port Moody. The C26 packed full in an instant, then came and went, and my in-laws were left standing on the platform with their bags at their feet. Their cell phone did not work in Canada and they had no idea how they would get from the West Coast Express station to our home in Belcarra.
A woman next to them offered to call a cab but then she just said, “Or we could just drive you. Here’s my husband picking me up now.” Understand that at this point, my in-laws were “visiting family,” no one knew of a funeral for a beloved grandson.
And understand, as well, that this couple lived 1 km from the station but took an hour out of their evening to drive complete strangers, on a dark and rainy night, to the wilds of Belcarra.
We still don’t know who Sean and his wife are. But we want everyone to know how they and others helped to lighten our load and mend our broken hearts. We are so grateful to be a part of such a community.
Jillian Hull, Eric Broberg and Immy Broberg-Hull, Belcarra
