A Family’s Mutual Aid Response to Tragedy

Laurel Van Auken describes what it was like to grow up in a big, rambunctious, loving family where her mom Gail was often the practical joker and fun ringleader at get-togethers. Gail Van Auken died in an accident while responding to a fire call in 2000, and her husband suffered a head injury. Laurel's aunt, Carole Chisholm, says she and her family knew all too well what it was like to lose a mother. She and other extended family members stepped in to provide needed connections to Gail's husband and kids, with support along the way from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

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