Christmas Background: Single Mother Reeling After Her Father’s Abrupt Death

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Losing a parent is devastating on its own, but when you are alone and must close your financial and legal affairs without any help, it makes the difficult situation worse. Abigail’s father passed away unexpectedly a few months ago and she hasn’t had time to cry.

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“They haven’t even told me the cause of death yet,” Abigail said. “They never called me to identify the body.”

Her father’s body was found in his apartment days after his passing and Abigail was only notified by phone afterward. He immediately ran into obstacles when trying to access his home to search for a will. He eventually got in thanks to a lawyer, but had to pay out of pocket and couldn’t find the documentation he was looking for. That means everything is in limbo: she can’t fix her affairs, she has no idea whether he died with debt or savings, and she can’t sell her furniture or television to pay for attorney or notary fees. Abigail paid for much of the funeral herself, with some help from her brother and extended family, but it was an unexpected bill after an unexpected bill that she is expected to cover. Her brother doesn’t live in Montreal, so he can only help from a distance, leaving Abigail alone to figure it out.

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Meanwhile, Abigail has a life of her own to take care of. She is diabetic and has a three-year-old boy whom she calls a “miracle baby” as he was not expected to survive given his condition. Instead, now he is the light of her life and a healthy boy obsessed with Spider-Man. So, between being a mother and starting a new job, she has enough to handle besides her late father’s affairs.

“I only entered the apartment through the lawyer, but they are not free,” he said. “Every time we have a question, we have to pay a lawyer, and it adds up.”

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