An infection took her foot, fingers and nearly her life. Tragedy strikes again as she grieves husband's sudden death
Nicole Knapp knows - for the most part - that she's strong.
The Mississauga mother of two already survived a bacterial infection that nearly killed her and kept her in the hospital for eight months. It forced her to undergo amputations of several fingers on both hands, all the toes on her right foot and the partial amputation of her left foot. The healing process has been mentally and physically distressing.
But through it all, her husband Jeff had been by her side.
Devoted to Nicole and her well-being, Jeff, 42, made sure she was always accompanied in the hospital. He would spend his evenings with her and stopped by in the mornings before work. After Nicole was released, he would take care of anything she needed as she continued to suffer intense pain in her hands and feet. The two eventually came out of a traumatic situation with even more love for each other.
Then, on Aug. 8, Jeff died suddenly. No one knew he had viral pneumonia until Nicole heard back from the coroner.
The weeks leading up to his death were stressful and difficult, with Jeff's father passing away on July 13. Jeff was crushed, and Nicole believes that the stress may have contributed to him losing the battle for his own life.
Now, being strong is more difficult than ever. Nicole is struggling with the weight of grieving the death of her soulmate, her disabilities and the financial burden that awaits her. When Nicole grew ill, Jeff became the sole breadwinner.
There are some days that are better than others," said Nicole. There are moments when I will just break down crying."
Nicole is fortunate to have an immensely strong" support group, she said. Her mother-in-law and brother-in-law are staying with her for awhile to help with looking after the girls and cooking. They join them for dinner and keep the girls company.
Others have shown their support by bringing the family food or dropping off flowers. Nicole's childhood friend, Melanie Chin, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Nicole pay her mortgage, day-to-day expenses and start a fund for the post-secondary education of her daughters Kaitlyn, 11, and Hailey, 8.
I wanted to at least take something off her plate ... where she doesn't have to worry about a roof over their head (or) what food they can put on the table. (I want to) give her more time to heal and figure out what her options are," said Chin. Right now, it's like her whole world is crashing down around her."
Nicole isn't quite sure Kaitlyn and Hailey understand what's happening, but certain comments prove to her that it's been very difficult for them, too.
He was a good father," said Nicole, remembering that Jeff would take the girls out to Blue Jays games and play baseball or ball hockey with them. He had personality to spare."
Jeff could make anyone feel comfortable, had an amazing sense of humour and would do anything for his loved ones, said Nicole. On top of that, he could throw together a gourmet meal using leftovers from the fridge and that was one way to her heart.
On Sept. 9, a Domino's Pizza in Clarkson will be fundraising for Nicole's family with the All In" fundraiser. All proceeds made from pizza sales between 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. will go to the family.