Nikki Jeannotte lived life from a wheelchair -- and in pain. Still, she embraced a life ranging from rock concerts in Vancouver to 11 years as a provincial government administrative assistant to online whiz to fun friend and confidante.
Nikki began early to seek the world beyond any handicap.
"She was one of the pioneers for the integration of the school system," mother Donna Jeannotte says. Nikki went to Cordova Bay elementary school and in 1991 graduated from Claremont Secondary.
The 35-year-old Saanich woman died Aug. 11.
"She lived almost every day of her life in pain -- she always had something broken," Donna says.
The fractures began when Nikki started to walk. At 15 months Nikki, otherwise "a healthy, robust baby," was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta -- basically fragile bones.
"From then on, it was like a snowball," Donna says.
There were surgeries after surgeries and her tiny body (roughly one metre and weighing 18 kg) was further plagued by kidney and respiratory problems.
"She endured it with grace and never, never complained," Donna says. Husband Larry adds, "There was no self-pity."
Routinely, she hid her pain from her parents and friends.
"I believe she didn't want you to feel pain, to have the pain of her suffering," Larry says.
She accepted her situation, but didn't like it, according to her mother.
"She hated her body, as pretty as she was. She hated being trapped in it," friend David Feys says.
Nikki had no trouble making friends.
"She was always very outgoing. She was never tied down by her illness in that she wasn't afraid to approach people and speak to them," Larry says.
She would often talk to street people, curious about their lives but never judgmental.
"People didn't feel threatened," aunt Gaye Sigvardsen of Vancouver says.
Sigvardsen was surprised when a street person in downtown Vancouver once shouted "Nikki!" as they passed.
"I loaned, well, I gave him $40," Nikki said, explaining how she knew the man, who had earlier been a street person in Victoria.
Nikki had an amazing effect on people, according to Feys. Her infectious laugh would light up a room.
"When you met her, you remembered her, not because she was in a chair, but her smile and genuine interest in you, " he says.
The two met more than a decade ago when Nikki called him about catering a surprise 50th birthday party for her mother.
"She and I hit if off right away," Feys says. "We both liked the finer things in life, food, boys and shopping."
Feys describes her as having a great sense of style.
"She put herself together with flare -- hair, makeup, outfit. It had to be right, ready for anything or anyone she might encounter. She had pizzazz," he told the 200 at her memorial service.
The pair often went out -- "she was game to try anything" -- in Victoria, but declining health ended that several years ago. By then Nikki was on oxygen and susceptible to infections.
However this didn't stop her shopping. She was "a shopaholic," always surprising friends with different gifts such as the sequined Cinderella slipper she gave her aunt.
"It reminds me so much of her. It's sparkly, glittery and stands out," Sigvardsen says.
No longer able to go to stores, Nikki became the consummate online shopper, searching for gifts or suggesting must-haves for friends. She also researched any trips they were taking, letting them know where to go and what to expect, according to Feys.
As her illness progressed, the Internet became her way of communicating with the world outside, according to her father. She didn't just use it to shop, but made friends, offered advice and recipes on her website (members.shaw.ca/
nikkij/) and did volunteer work for an animal rescue organization.
Over the years Nikki had a series of small dogs.
"All her dogs slept with her and cuddled. Instinctively, they knew she was fragile," Donna says.
Both Feys and Sigvardsen found Nikki exceedingly wise.
"It was like she knew more than she should at her age," Sigvardsen says.
Nikki always heard people out.
"You knew when you went to her with a problem, she'd listen. She didn't wait until there was a gap in the conversation to put her two cents in," she says.
Her compassion and wisdom weren't limited to family and friends, but extended to their friends as well. Sigvardsen had a close friend diagnosed with cancer.
"The first thing [Nikki] wanted to do was send her an e-mail with advice on how to cope with the fear and pain that would now become a large part of her life.
"I didn't see the letter, but apparently it was right on the mark," Sigvardsen says.
"One thing about Nik -- she wouldn't gloss over anything if she thought it was the right thing to do. One of her favourite expressions was 'Suck it up, buttercup!' "
Sigvardsen last saw Nikki the day before she died. She suspects her niece knew it would be their last time together. They talked, but, typically, Nikki would not let the focus rest on her.
"Nikki was always concerned that everyone else would be OK," she says.
Nicole Marie 'Nikki" Jeannotte, born Nov. 10, 1973, and died Aug. 11, 2009, in Victoria General Hospital.
Island Lives is a weekly series celebrating the lives of Island people who have died recently. The series focuses not on the famous, but on our neighbours who have led interesting lives or made a difference in their communities. If you know of someone whose life should be celebrated, let us know by e-mail at [email protected] or by mail at 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, sa国际传媒, V8T 4M2.
