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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.