Help Meg Rebuild Her Home

I'm Jessica and I'm running this GoFundMe for Megan Leblanc. Here is her story:

Hello. My name is Megan Leblanc. I am a resident of Lambton County, Ontario. I am a single mom, caring for a nonverbal autistic son. Recently my life went from very difficult to full blown tragedy. I hope you can help me in any way possible

My husband took his life in 2015, leaving me with no education, job, or ability to care for my son who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. After my husband’s death, with the help of family and friends, I was able to complete the PSW program (as valedictorian) and the RPN program (with honours) at Lambton College. I passed my nursing exam and began to work in Long Term Care specializing in Geriatric and Palliative Care.


Unfortunately, like so many, the COVID pandemic took away my income. My son’s behaviours at home have become aggressive toward inanimate objects to where he is in need of 24/7 care and attention. I am the sole care provider for my son. The constant need to be hypervigilant has caused my mental health to suffer as I cannot even sleep on my own and trust my son to be safe.

My son set my mattress on fire. All this took was him finding a lighter tucked away in the back of my nightstand at 5 am in the morning. The mattress and house was on fire within minutes. This took place July 21st, causing approximately $20,000 dollars worth of damage. However, it will likely cost even more to repair the damage. I don’t have this money and I will lose my home if I can’t afford to repair it.

Prior to the fire I have been begging every agency possible for help with my son - Pathways, Community Living, and Children’s Aid Society to help me with little success. My son’s destructive behaviour is likely to increase. He needs more treatment, and a safer environment for him with more supervision. Right now there is only me to care for him. In the past year he has run away from home twice and the Ontario Provincial Police have had to be involved to search for him.

I do not have home insurance because I have been unable to work with no care available for my son. As a nurse, I am required to work shifts and I cannot acquire childcare for the times required. The frequent switch between home and school learning has also made working impossible for me. I am responsible for getting my son to and from school when in session and his respite care is only 10 hours weekly. I have frequently, over the past year, needed to choose between feeding my son and paying bills.

Currently, my son and I are living with my parents in a one bedroom apartment as we are effectively homeless with the electricity and water shut off to my home. I cannot apply for the current grants and loans offered to aid in renovations as I have no insurance and I owe taxes on the property. And, because I am not currently able to work, I am unable to even get an equity loan to help with repairs.

I have no help, I have no money, and I cannot do this alone. I am begging for any help that you may be able to provide. My son needs more services in order to be safe as I am unable to care for him to the extent that is needed. Also, I need help to fix my home so that we have a place to live. I have no other avenues to ensure our future is a better one.

Any funds raised will go to:

Fixing Electricity
Fixing Plumbing
Fixing Windows
Replacing items in the home destroyed by fire and smoke damage (e.g. Mattresses, Couch, Clothing, etc)
Increasing respite care for my son
Paying Taxes
Getting house insurance
Thank you for your consideration. No contribution is too small.