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After spending the past 14 years living in Lebanon with
her husband, Sam Zoghbi, Monique Laderoute seemed to have it made. She and
Sam had a great life. He was doing very well in the restaurant business and
she was developing a solid reputation as a professional interior designer.
And then around the middle of July 2006, their world was turned upside down
when Israel invaded Lebanon and Monique was forced to flee from her home
near Beirut and seek evacuation back to Canada.
With their assets frozen in Lebanon, Monique and her
two teenaged boys were only able to bring one suitcase each out of the
country. "I didn't even have enough money to make a phone call from the
bus station," recalls Monique. "But even though I have nothing and
I have to start out all over again on welfare with an empty apartment, I am
so grateful to have escaped with my sons. I'm back home now, and I will
never leave again."
On October 1, 2006, Monique, 3rd from the left in the photo above, stood
with her parents, Ron and Susan Laderoute, and her aunt Jean Somers, in the
kitchen of the home that was rented from Val Mazzuca.
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| Today, Monique, stands in her newly
refurbished kitchen, and expressed her extreme gratitude to the community
of Valley East for coming to her assistance in her time of need.
"At the beginning of October, I had
nothing," Monique explained. "Then I discovered that this whole
community is my family and it has been non-stop. People have been so kind
to us and have been unbelievable in their support." |
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| As she sat at her new table in the dining area, Monique
reflected on the past. "I had it all before; diamonds, furs, a villa,
a BMW and plenty of money, but I forgot what it was like to belong to a
community and to have that feeling of family. I can truly say that I've
never been happier than I am right now. I think the whole war in Lebanon
started to force me to return home to this. I needed something drastic to
happen to detach my life from the rut I'd fallen into." |
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| Monique contends that "possessions are nice for making
life comfortable" but she wouldn't change a thing in her life as it
stands right now. |
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| "Having seen the worst of people in Lebanon during the
war, and then seeing the very best of people back home as they have come
to the assistance of my sons and I, it is truly an experience that has
made me a better person," she continued while sitting in her living
room. |
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| Monique and her sons moved into their home on Thanksgiving
Day. "I wanted to move in on Thanksgiving Day for obvious reasons.
And that night, a stranger knocked on the door and left us two wall
hangings plus two gift certificates for Tim Horton's. Just out of the
blue, he came knocking at the door."
As Monique goes through the house, she points out many of the items
that were donated and has a story to go with them. "What is really
touching is that so many of the donated items meant something special to
the people who donated them. These are not just furnishings and wall
hangings, they tell a story about how wonderful it is to be back home
again in Valley East." |
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