|
Prized time for mom, daughter ends in loss
|
|
Back -
Index
- Submissions
- 
- What is RSS?
Date: Dec 31, 2099 Miriam Longino - Staff Friday December 31 It had been a weekend of extreme highs. Renee Poisson and her best friend, Jamie, a pair of bubbly 17-year-olds from Dahlonega, were in Florida for the hottest event of the concert season --- the Backstreet Boys show in suburban Fort Lauderdale. Better yet, their moms came along and were having every bit as much fun, even though Sheila Poisson was 43 and Jamie's mom, Kim Gatewood, was 38. That Sunday night, Dec. 5, was the foursome's second Backstreet Boys concert in three days, part of a sweetly impetuous vacation the girls had won through a contest sponsored by Atlanta radio station Star 94. Sheila and Renee had shared so much that weekend. They'd walked in the sand along Miami Beach, videotaped each other as they rode up and down hotel elevators and stayed up late in their Holiday Inn room just talking. They reveled in Renee's excitement at seeing her first palm tree and Sheila's delight at stumbling into her son's favorite wrestler, Hulk Hogan, at the Tampa concert. But that Sunday a mother and daughter relationship, grown ever closer by a giddy weekend of girlish fun, ended in death. Days after the accident that took Sheila's life, the Poisson family gathers around a coffee table at their North Georgia home sorting through snapshots of their mom, lover, best friend. There's the picture of Sheila smiling brightly as a 19-year-old bride. Sheila as a girl from the '60s wearing horn-rims, her hair in a "That Girl" flip. Sheila wrapped in a big blue bow on a surprise trip to see her family in Montana. "That's so my mom," Jeremy, 21, says with a bittersweet smile. There are dozens of formal 5-by-7s tracing the growth of her three children. Sheila, they say, would dress them up and haul them down to the portrait studio "just about every month." Sheila's husband, Dan, says little. He picks up a grainy black-and-white school picture from 1961, showing Sheila as a first-grader smiling beneath white cat-eye glasses that nearly cover her face. "Old bug eyes," he says lovingly. His favorite is an 8-by-10 reproduction of Sheila's driver's license picture. "People don't believe me, but it was such a good picture I took it to Wal-Mart and had it blown up." Jeremy squeezes his girlfriend Alisia's hand. "It changes your priorities about what you think is important and not important. . . . We've all grown a lot closer to each other." There's another stack of photos. These are harder for Renee to see. They are snapshots taken in November of the Poisson's modest cedar-and-stone house. It's decorated from roof to sidewalk with pictures, banners and balloons celebrating the Backstreet Boys and Atlanta radio station Star 94. The contest Sheila had been so into the contest. The girls had heard about it on the radio and were determined to win. When Dan was skeptical, Sheila talked him into letting them decorate the house. She also calmed his nerves when he saw their split-level turn into something that looked like a homecoming float. More than 150 families entered the Star 94 promotion, endlessly hyped on the air for two weeks: "We're going to send some lucky listener to not one, not two, but three Backstreet Boys' concerts! Decorate your house and win!" Renee and Jamie made dozens of trips to Wal-Mart to buy poster board, streamers and paint. For seven days in November, the community watched as their creation took shape. Hundreds of students at Lumpkin County High School tuned their radios to 94.1 FM at 5 o'clock on Nov. 23, when afternoon disc jockey Craig Hunt called the girls to say they had won. Their prize: the expenses-paid dream vacation to Florida with their moms. Days later Star 94 was still playing a tape of the girls' squeals upon learning the news. For weeks, Renee and Jamie planned the trip where they would see the Backstreet Boys twice --- first in Tampa and then in suburban Fort Lauderdale. They went to the outlet mall in Dawsonville where they loaded up on Tommy Hilfiger clothes, the favorite label of the Backstreet Boys. Kim and Sheila, who had not met, got together with the girls to talk about the trip. They all got manicures. The day they left was a frenzy. Heading down Ga. 400 toward the airport, Sheila panicked when she realized she had left her driver's license at home. Dan pulled off at the Holcomb Bridge Road exit, where the girls hopped into Kim's car and headed to the airport. Sheila called Jeremy and asked him to meet them with her ID. When she and Dan finally got to the airport, they ran to the gate. They found the others waiting by a jetway door that was closed. To get the attention of the flight crew, Sheila pushed the door open, setting off the security alarm. They barely made it on the plane. Dan would later remember thinking to himself that this whole thing had started off wrong. The concert So much about the trip had seemed right. The foursome had seen the Backsteet Boys in Tampa. The night of the last concert, the weather was still warm enough for shorts and tees. Thousands of teenagers packed the arena in suburban Fort Lauderdale. They waved signs painted with hearts and kisses. They clutched teddy bears, twirled green Glow Sticks, and giggled at the delightful silliness of being at their first grown-up concert ever. "We love you, Backstreet Boys!" they shouted, overwhelmed by the contagious innocence of it all. Sheila, Renee, Jamie and Kim were in the eighth row. As the pop stars flirted with the crowd, Renee and Sheila laughed and sang along, bobbing to the dance tunes and swaying with the ballads. Kim Gatewood would later remember that she had never seen a mother and daughter having so much fun. A special moment Sheila and Renee had become especially close that weekend. They'd eaten clam chowder at a seaside grill and gone shopping. Sheila bought Renee a pair of black strappy sandals and a fun, fuzzy purse to wear to the show. They had been laughing all weekend about Renee's strategy for getting close enough to touch her favorite in the group, Brian. At the concert, she got her chance. As the Boys launched into the sweet pop hit "I Want It That Way," Renee maneuvered from her seat to the front, where the Boys were leaning over the fans. But just as Brian was about to grab her hand, Renee noticed a tiny girl being smothered in the crowd. Renee reached down and put the child on her shoulders. She missed her chance with Brian, but the little girl had a wonderful view. Walking to their rental car after the show, Sheila hugged Renee. "I'm really proud of you for what you did tonight. "That's the kind of person I raised you to be. I love you very much." It was the last thing Renee remembers her mother saying to her. The accident After the concert, they were hungry. Kim had suggested the group head to an Applebee's they had seen on their way to the show. To their disappointment, the restaurant was closed. They decided to find another place to eat. Sheila pulled out into light traffic on Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. In a shower of bright lights and noise, her rented Nissan Sentra was struck broadside by a 1997 Chevy pickup. The driver, 21-year-old Eric Nelson, was on his way home from the night shift. It was 11:17 p.m. Nelson was not injured, but the impact knocked everyone in the Sentra unconscious. Renee woke first, roused by the the emergency rescue crew cutting into the wreckage. She felt something on top of her. It was Jamie, covered in blood. Kim opened her eyes and tried to calm the girls. But Sheila did not move. Renee reached forward to rub her mother's neck, but she didn't respond. Sheila was airlifted to Broward General Medical Center five miles away. At the hospital, Sheila battled a severe brain injury and her blood pressure dipped dangerously low. She breathed with the help of a ventilator. By the next day it was clear that the 43-year-old mother of three --- who loved to grow roses in her Dahlonega back yard, watch her hummingbird feeder and brew a little homemade wine --- would not wake up. The news breaks At 1:15 Monday morning, Dec. 6, a ringing phone woke the Rev. Ray Prince in Dahlonega. It was Renee, calling from a hospital emergency room in Florida. My mom and I were in a wreck, she told him. She was OK, but wasn't sure about her mom. Her dad was on the way. Prince was startled. He led Renee in prayer over the phone. At 8 a.m., Prince called the Star 94 switchboard, which had not yet opened for the day, to learn more. Pulling the number of the station's request line off the Internet, he got through to the studios and asked to speak to either Steve McCoy or Vikki Locke. The chatty morning team was on the air. McCoy took the call. He listened incredulously as the minister told him what had happend. Prince asked him to go on the air seeking prayers for the Poisson family. Sensing that this was no joke, McCoy scribbled down the name and phone number of the hospital in Florida. A call verified the worst. There had been an accident, and the Poisson group was involved. As the news trickled through the station, McCoy leaned into his microphone. "We understand that some of our listeners, the contest winners down in Florida, were involved in a car accident following last night's Backstreet Boys show. We just wanted to say our hearts are with Renee, Sheila, Jamie and Kim, and would like for you to keep them in your prayers." At the radio station Dan Bowen, the aggressive young program director who has helped make Star 94 the No. 1 adult radio station in metro Atlanta, was heading out the door of his Sandy Springs home when he got the call. It was Denise George, vice president of promotion for Jive Records, the Backstreet Boys' record label. The news was bad. "Dan, I just wanted to tell you something that happened last night to the winners we had down in Florida," she said. Bowen's stomach sank. He flew out the door and headed for Star 94's Buckhead studios. Once there, he headed right to the office of general manager Mark Kanov and recounted the flurry of morning phone calls. "That's unbelievable," Kanov said. "Unbelievable. What happened? Are they OK?" Kanov sorted through the information he'd been told and finally reached Dan Poisson at the hospital in Florida. "Our hearts are with your family," Kanov told him. "Listen, do not worry about coordinating anything, the flights, the hotel. We'll take care of that." As the mood at the station grew darker, Kanov called a staff meeting. "I know everyone has heard about the contest winners' accident," he told them, "and the news is bad. Sheila Poisson didn't make it." Staffer Cristy Allen broke the delicate silence. "Would it be all right if I said a prayer?" she asked. Her colleagues bowed their heads as she prayed aloud. At the hospital After catching the first plane he could to Florida, Dan Poisson found Renee lying in an emergency room bed, bruised and frightened. Down the hall in intensive care, Sheila lay lifeless, breathing only with the aid of a ventilator. A CAT scan had found massive brain injuries. Doctors told Dan she wouldn't recover. Dan called sons Jeremy and Noel to make certain they understood the decision he was about to make. Then he went to see Renee. "We know what Mom would have wanted," each child told him. Dan said goodbye to his wife before the doctors took Sheila off life support. Two months before their 25th wedding anniversary, the woman with the bright smile and wry sense of humor was gone. The next day, he put Renee and Jamie on a plane back home to Atlanta. Kim remained in the hospital. On Wednesday, he waited for the Broward County medical examiner to finish his work. On Thursday, Sheila's body was cremated at a Fort Lauderdale funeral home, and he brought her ashes back to Georgia. A tribute Back in Dahlonega, Prince began working with the family on Sheila's memorial service. He also talked throughout the week with Star 94's Kanov, who was searching for a way for the station to respond. "Why don't you have Steve and Vikki do a tribute to Sheila?" the minister suggested. "Yes, absolutely," Kanov agreed. At 8:05 a.m. Friday, Dec. 10, Prince was driving to Dawsonville when the tribute came over his car radio. The morning team devoted six minutes to Sheila. McCoy spoke first. "Some sadness to share with you all. It's been kind of a gloomy week for us behind the scenes at Star 94. We always think of our listeners as friends, almost family. It is with that that we bring you the news of the death of Sheila Poisson from Dahlonega, mother of Renee. After a car accident, she has passed away. For our contest winners Renee and Jamie and Kim Gatewood, and for Mr. Poisson and the Poisson family, we wanted to let you know how so very sad we are, and will keep you in our prayers and thoughts forever." McCoy played a song he had chosen quite coincidentally for the occasion --- the Backstreet Boys' "The Perfect Fan." He didn't know that it was the very song Renee had sung into her mother's ear at the concert that final night in Florida. The memorial service In all his years of ministering, Prince had never seen so many people at a memorial service. On Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock, 350 friends of the Poisson family filled the pews of Dahlonega Baptist Church. The front of the sanctuary was draped in flowers. The largest spray, a fantail of long-stemmed pink roses, came from the Backstreet Boys, who had also FedExed a sympathy card to Renee, signed by each group member. For five days, Prince had been planning his remarks. He opened with the words of a haunting, 100-year-old hymn. As hand bells rang out the tune, he read: "When peace like a river attendeth my way / When sorrows like sea billows roll / Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well, with my soul.' " That afternoon, they mourned and celebrated Sheila. Jeremy took the podium. He said his mom had grown up in rural Montana, playing along the banks of the beautiful Gallatin River. At 18, she had left Big Sky Country to join the Air Force. There, she met Dan on a date to see the movie "Blazing Saddles." They married five months later, and soon Sheila stayed home to rear their three children. She never missed a soccer match or a school program. Jeremy spoke of how his parents, who worked at different hospitals in Gainesville, would leave the house together each morning like newlyweds. In separate cars, they would go to the Country Cupboard for morning coffee, where Dan would wait to hold the door open for Sheila. They would follow each other through traffic, until they got to the intersection where they parted for the day. Without fail, they would exchange waves as they drove off in different directions. Jeremy closed his remarks looking straight at Renee. "It's not your fault," he told her. "We wake up every day and thank God you're still with us. Mom spent the last three days of her life having a great time being with you." Going forward The new year holds much promise for the Poissons. Jeremy will begin his senior year at North Georgia College & State University. Fourteen-year-old Noel will start high school next fall. Other dates will be more difficult. On Feb. 14 --- Valentine's Day --- Dan and Sheila would have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Five days later, Renee is planning to join Jamie at the Georgia Dome, where they have been invited backstage to meet the Backstreet Boys at the group's Atlanta show. In the spring, Dan and the family plan to travel to Montana. If they are up to it, they will scatter Sheila's ashes near the Rocky Mountains she loved. "It feels so weird," Renee says now, gazing at the bright red poinsettias Sheila had placed on the fireplace hearth before the trip. "We really had a great time. We had fun. It's a mix of both good and bad memories. I remember when they sang that song 'The Perfect Fan,' because at the concert I told her I wanted her to pay attention to that song because that's how I really felt. She had her arm around me, and I had my arm around her, and I sang the words into her ear. And I told her I loved her, and she told me she loved me. That was our special song." Donations in memory of Sheila Poisson may be made to the American Red Cross.
From "The Perfect Fan"
Comment on this item.
Recent Comments Submitted by: johnanzClick here to see more comments. Comment on this item.
Next Item: Disney Adventure magazine poll results |
Translate To: Spanish German French Italian Portuguese Japanese Korean Chinese
This is a fan site. This is a Backstreet archive. This is Your site.
Serving fans since 1997.