RED DEER - For almost nine years twins Kelley Arnold and Kimberly Wickens never let go of a heartbreaking family mystery.
On Nov. 19, 2010 the twins, along with their four other siblings, gave their dying mother Velma Wickens-Vandendungen a gold family ring for her 74th birthday. The ring had all six children's first names engraved as well as their birth stones. The mother died a month later of cancer at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre on Dec. 18. At that heartbreaking time the children could not find the ring.
"She cherished that ring. In fact we all did because we all had a part in purchasing and picking it out for her. And when she had passed we had looked for the ring and we couldn't find it," said Kelley, who with her twin Kimberly is now 45.
Over the ensuring years there was more heartbreak. Three siblings - Cindy, Janice and Francis, all in their 50s - died. Today Kelley and Kimberly remain with sister Lucy, who had a serious health scare earlier this year.
"It was such a mystery as to what happened to the ring. My mother did not have a lot of jewelry. We talked about it as siblings, where it was and what happened to it. It was something that we even argued about," said Kimberly.
And then in the early afternoon of May 31 came a Facebook message that changed the twins' lives.
MYSTERY SOLVED
The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, located in the city's hospital, received an old box on May 31 with unclaimed lost and found items from the institution's security office, hoping foundation staff might be able to figure out who rightfully owned them. There was not much of interest, except for a ring. Six first names were engraved on it, each with a birth stone.
Staff, which included Innisfailians Jason Ezeard, Kristen Spatz and Patrick Teskey, immediately went to work.
"It started with us just quickly trying to find something, and we just started rabbit holing - researching and researching and you get to the point where we can't not anymore," said Manon Therriault, the foundation's CEO, adding online research led to an obituary with all six full names on it. "We spent all afternoon trying to figure it out. That is what we did. We found the children. We finally got ahold of two of the sisters, and they are twins.
"It was exciting for us but at the same time very emotional to be able to do that for another family," added Therriault.
Red Deer Regional Health Foundation staff stopped everything on the afternoon of May 31 to find the righful owner of the lost family ring. From left to right are Leanne Schenn, major gifts manager; Manon Therriault, chief executive officer; Jason Ezeard, office manager and Kristen Spatz, administration assistant. Both Ezeard and Spatz are Innisfail residents. Photo by Patrick Teskey
THE CALL
It was late afternoon on May 31 when Kelley saw a Facebook message to call the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. She made the call. Kelley was told the family ring was at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.
"I was shocked. I couldn't believe it because of the time that went by that it was the ring. I honestly thought it was gone forever. I never thought it would be found and that it was lost in the hospital. I became emotional," said Kelley, grateful to each foundation staff member who worked diligently to find her. "The amount of work it would have taken to find us just by our names. I was floored. I could not believe they put that much effort into finding us. I am so overwhelmed with appreciation. I am just humbled by their action of kindness by doing that."
Kelley was told by Therriault that because it was late Friday afternoon she could come Monday morning if that was her preference. She told Therriault she would be there immediately.
RING RETURNED
A group of foundation staff members waited for Kelley's arrival.
"She was happy, excited and shocked. There was emotion because she said, 'there is only three of us left on this ring. Three siblings had passed already,''' said Spatz of Kelley's reaction to seeing the ring for the first time in almost nine years. "It was really nice, a good moment."
When Kelley first saw the ring again she thought about how it looked on her mother.
Kimberly Wickens, left, and twin sister Kelley hold their precious family ring that was found on May 31 by Red Deer Regional Health Foundation staff after being missing since the death of their mother Velma Wickens-Vandendungen on Dec. 18, 2010.
"It reminded me of how small and frail my mom was because the ring is very tiny. It fit on her ring finger but it is very small in circumference. It barely fits on my pinky. I was very emotional and forgot how small she was," said Kelley, adding she also felt sorrow from the memory of her late siblings.
"She (Therriault) said she had Googled the six names all together to find the owner. I said, 'You know what? That is sad because three of those siblings have passed away already."
THE MESSAGE
Kelley did not stay long at the foundation office. It was a day of high emotion and shock. It was important for her to gather her thoughts. In the days after, both twins were able to find greater meaning and understanding of what the the lost ring and its discovery meant to their lives. They are both still young and full of promise. There is so much living yet to do.
"It was almost like my mother is watching over us. It was angelic, a message," said Kelley, as she began to cry softly. "I am sorry to be emotional but losing so many people in your family so rapidly is traumatic.
"Life can be hard to understand; life and death and how it can come and go so easily. It can be given and then taken away," she added. "It was a good message from my mum."
As for Kimberly, this momentous family message has become clearer and clearer, beyond coincidence.
"It was an absolute miracle. I felt it was like a message from heaven from my mum. Since her passing my brother Francis and sisters Cindy and Janice passed away at a young age, so now it's just me, my twin sister Kelley and sister Lucy, who has been really struggling with her health," she said.
"It was so timely, a message from my mom from heaven saying, 'don't give up', and a message about how important family is and that we stick together."
