THUNDER BAY — A city woman grieving the sudden loss of her only child found support from three complete strangers in the moments after she received the tragic news.
Now other community members are stepping forward as well by contributing to a GoFundMe campaign to cover expenses and start a scholarship in memory of her son, Dylan Wade.
The 20-year-old died early last week in a single-vehicle collision on Highway 11 east of Fort Frances.
Terri Geurts, who'd seen her son set off on his road trip that morning, was out shopping when she took a phone call that delivered the heaviest blow any parent can receive.
"I literally just fell to the ground in the middle of the parking lot...screaming in shock," she said.
Bystanders were unsure at first why she was in distress, but then a man approached and helped her get up.
Others also stepped forward to support and comfort Geurts in whatever way they could until her partner and a family member arrived on the scene.
"They were just hovering over me, and then I realized they were not leaving me, and I was saying 'Oh my God, promise me you're not gonna leave me,' and they were asking if there was somebody they could call."
She said one woman reassured her " 'Don't worry, nobody's leaving you,' and then she was just so, so comforting. To know that I wasn't alone, that they weren't gonna walk off on me, and I wasn't going to be distraught outside the Dollarama on Arthur Street alone."
When Geurts started shivering out of shock, one of the other strangers put his coat around her.
"They were with me, those three people, and they protected me from people going in and out of the store. They were not allowing other people to come up to me and say 'What's wrong with her' or something."
The trio stayed by her side for about half an hour.
She now knows the names of two of the Good Samaritans, and is anxious to make contact with the third person, a man, so she can express her gratitude to all of them.
That individual can reach the family by email: dniemi0@icloud.com.
The GoFundMe campaign, initiated by a close friend, had brought in about $12,000 towards its $15,000 goal, as of Wednesday afternoon.
The family has asked that anyone unable to contribute "put some tobacco down and say a prayer for Dylan" and to "hug your loved ones tight, because tomorrow is never guaranteed."
Geurts said she's also received hundreds of private messages from people expressing condolences and describing how Dylan impacted the lives of so many others.
He was active in sports where he made numerous friends, particularly in hockey and baseball, and attended St. Patrick High School and Confederation College, enrolling there in Electrical Engineering for two years.
The young man had just started a new job in May of this year.
"Other parents are saying 'I met your son. He was so kind.' I had a lady from Cincinnati email me saying her son was being bullied at school, and he ended up meeting Dylan online, and they have been friends for five or six years," Geurts said.
She said the woman told her Dylan had changed her own son's life, and wanted to know what she can do now to provide support.
The funeral service is scheduled for Harbourview Funeral Home on Cumberland St. N. at 1 p.m. on Nov. 23.
