Press Christmas for All: Widow rebuilds after tragedy

Life can change in an instant, but even after tragedy, there’s a path forward.

Teri White learned this firsthand. 

In 2021, her husband, Rick, came down with what they thought was a cold. He quarantined at home for 10 days, but he didn’t get better. On the 11th day, White took him to Kootenai Health and learned he had COVID-19. 

“That was the last time I got to physically see him before he died,” she said. 

The same was true of their six children.

“They didn’t know that was the last time they were going to see him,” White said. 

White became emotional when she recalled the last time she spoke to her husband, before he was put on a ventilator. Three years later, the pain is still fresh. 

“I still love him and miss him,” she said, her voice wobbling. 

When his condition didn’t improve, he was flown to Portland so he could receive ECMO treatment, a form of life support that temporarily takes over the function of a patient’s heart and lungs. 

Weeks passed. It became clear that he couldn’t survive. A little more than a month after he was first hospitalized, White flew to Portland so she could be with her husband in his final moments. 

“The night he died, I Facetimed with the kids so they could say goodbye,” she said. “But he was fully sedated and paralyzed. He wasn’t alert.” 

White returned home to Coeur d’Alene and began picking up the pieces. At the time, she worked for the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and was satisfied with her job. But she knew it wouldn’t be enough to support her family now that she was on her own. 

“I knew I needed to go back to school,” she said. 

In fall 2022, White enrolled at North Idaho College. She received support from the Center for New Directions on campus as she got settled in and recalled the encouragement she got from Louisa Rogers, who runs the center. 

“She had confidence that I was going to be able to do this,” White said. 

An unexpected bill nearly derailed White’s education. The family had only one vehicle, a Ford Excursion. When it became unsafe to drive and needed repairs, White was faced with an expense she couldn’t afford. 

The Center for New Directions connected White with Charity Reimagined and Christmas for All. She paid 10% of the repair bill, about $200, and community donations covered the rest. 

“That was huge,” White said. “I was able to drive the kids around and continue going to NIC.” 

She graduated in the spring of this year with an associate degree in social work. Now she’s working toward a four-year degree at Lewis-Clark State College, on the Coeur d’Alene campus, and hopes to eventually pursue a master’s degree in licensed clinical social work. 

White said she wants to use her education to work with widows like her and other people in crisis. 

“It was put on my heart,” she said. 

For now, she’s focused on completing her education and raising her children, who she said are coping well with the loss of their father. 

“I give credit to God for that,” she said. “He’s someone I can always lean on. There’s a lot of times when I’m just in my room, listening to worship music, and I can feel his presence. That’s the main reason why my kids and I are doing well. We’re a close family.” 

Support from the community, including organizations like the Center for New Directions and programs like Christmas for All, have also helped her family during their hardest times. 

“I have days where my mind is stuck, but I have friends and family and classmates and teachers who have really allowed me to have that space to process,” she said. 

Reflecting on the past three years, White said she’s learned that life doesn’t stop, even after immense loss. It can’t. 

“Our journeys are always going,” she said. “Our lives are always moving forward.” 

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This story is part of a series of "where are they now" stories The Press will be sharing this week as we lead up to the launch of our 2024 Press Christmas for All campaign. Please join us in celebrating those we have been privileged to give a hand up as they work to better their lives and give back to our community.