B.C. son helps mom replace cherished memories after toonie collection stolen
After a fire destroyed most of the pictures of her children growing up, Mandy Lamarche discovered she could still recall their priceless moments together through coin collecting.
Mandy says her children and grandchildren would often find coins when they were with her and offer them as a “special” gift.
“(For them) it was special,” Mandy smiles. “So for me it was special.”
So, Mandy started collecting the commemorative toonies to honour them.
“The reason I get up every morning is my kids,” Mandy says.
But then, after a recent break-in, Mandy found all her coins were stolen.
“My son just happened to call me at that moment,” Mandy recalls. “I tried not to let him hear me crying.”
But her son, Coty Pleich Drouillard, did hear.
“It was really hard to see her like that,” Coty says.
After consoling his mom, Coty reached out on social media (under a false name to keep his plan a surprise) offering to trade people his regular toonies for their commemorative ones.
“I got a really amazing response from the community,” Coty smiles.
Coty says he drove countless hours and kilometres exchanging coins with strangers (who lived as close as the communities surrounding him to as far away as the province next to him), collecting 30 toonies, three loonies, and a pair of two dollar bills.
“It’s incredible!” Coty says, showing off the collection. “I can’t wait for my mother’s reaction.”
He can’t wait to give back to the mom who gave so much when they were growing up with so little. She raised her kids as a single parent until Coty was 13.
“She would go without eating to feed us,” Coty says. “She would work triple shifts coming up to Christmas to give us everything we wanted.”
So this Christmas, Coty surprised his mom with the gift she didn’t even know she needed.
His family captured the moment on camera. The video shows Mandy opening a card containing coins, followed by a box filled with them, before Coty shares the story behind them.
“I’ve never felt so overwhelmed,” Mandy says, explaining her emotions at the time ranged from disbelief to joy to gratitude.
“This makes it even more special than the ones I had before,” Mandy smiles.
Because more than the coins’ collective value, Mandy’s restored collection is now multiplied by other people’s collective kindness.
Correction
The original version of this story referred to Mandy as a single mom. In fact, though she was a single parent while her children were young, Coty says she has been with her husband, Coty's stepdad, since her son was 13.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.