By LISA BRITTON

Baker City Herald

Mary Collard has one word to describe the past year: andquot;overwhelming.andquot;

andquot;Just one thing after another,andquot; she says. andquot;I’ve been in crisis mode since Feb. 4.andquot;

That day brought a parent’s worst nightmare: Mary and her husband Bryan’s 16-year-old daughter, Mayce, died in a car accident on Interstate 84.

That tragedy, Mary says, brought the community to their door.

andquot;Mayce’s death was such a shock to the community, and everybody wanted to fix it,andquot; she says.

It’s not easy to mend broken hearts, but the Collards suddenly discovered how many people knew, and cared for, Mayce.

andquot;It’s neat to think a 16-year-old had as much impact as she did,andquot; Mary says.

Support came from friends, their Catholic Church family, and from churches all over Baker City.

andquot;It doesn’t matter who we are, or where we worship. We’re all in this together,andquot; Mary says.

And some acts were so anonymous she still doesn’t know who to thank.

andquot;I’ve come home and had a little prayer on the door, or a bill mysteriously taken care of,andquot; she says.

She’ll never forget waking up Easter morning in 2007 to find the patio full of potted plants and flowers Bryan’s therapy was tending the yard.

andquot;That was one of the neatest things, to get up and have spring on our porch,andquot; she says.

The Collards’ faith never wavered in the days after Mayce’s death, though Mary admits it was hard to return to the same church where she attended her daughter’s funeral.

andquot;Going back to Mass was difficult,andquot; she says. andquot;But it’s also a place where we know we’re part of the family. I know I’m accepted there, and how much they all loved her.andquot;

Time passed, as it always does, and the Collards Mary, Bryan and children Addison, Harrison, Hope and Evee tried adjusting to the hole in their lives.

But bad news hovered on the horizon.

Bryan has suffered back troubles since 2000, and his pain worsened in the months after Mayce’s death until he was essentially bedridden.

andquot;It’s just gotten gradually worse,andquot; Mary says.

In March 2007, the month after Mayce died, Mary had a suspicious mammogram and biopsy. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in October, just one week after running a Boise marathon with Janie Mahaffey and Cindy Denne.

Even this story of cancer has a twist.

Mary was meeting with a Boise doctor to discuss her diagnosis and treatments.

The doctor suggested Mary might want a second opinion.

But then Mary, for the first time, glanced at the doctor’s name tag.

andquot;Her name was Dr. Macey. I said, ‘I don’t need a second opinion.’ andquot;

Then she shared the story of her own Mayce.

andquot;When I told her, she got tears in her eyes, and she said ‘I wasn’t supposed to work today.’ I don’t think it was a coincidence.andquot;

Late 2007 just didn’t let up on the Collards.

An adverse reaction to medication landed Bryan in intensive care in early November, just weeks before the wedding of the couple’s son, Addison, to Danielle Podliska.

The ceremony was Nov. 23 Mayce’s birthday and the rehearsal fell on Thanksgiving Day.

Again the Collards had support from the community.

andquot;Addison wouldn’t have had a rehearsal if not for the church, and DHS employees,andquot; Mary says. andquot;They basically said tell us how many are coming and show up.andquot;

(Mary works with the Department of Human Services in her role as executive director of CASA.)

After the happy reprieve of the wedding, Mary and Bryan again dealt with their physical ailments.

andquot;There was one point neither of us could lift anything,andquot; Mary says.

Men from both the Catholic and Mormon churches made sure the Collards’ woodpile stayed stocked, and helped carry wood into the house.

Both Mary and Bryan underwent their final surgeries the same day: Jan. 29 of this year.

Then friends suggested a benefit to help counteract the Collards’ year of unplanned medical expenses.

Mary didn’t immediately agree she’s used to planning benefits for others, not being the reason for one.

She was finally persuaded, though, and six women Lisa Chong, Patty Bachman, Michelle Paoletti, Maria Voboril, Betty Spooner and Trish Everson started planning.

The benefit spaghetti feed and auction took place April 5, and an estimated 300 people showed up.

andquot;Just amazing,andquot; Mary says of the response. andquot;Just phenomenal that people would take time out of their day to come and support us.andquot;

She can’t say enough about the folks of Baker City.

andquot;It is an incredible community, it’s like a surrogate family,andquot; she says. andquot;My family in South Carolina says it helps them not to have to worry about us as much. Out here our family has just increased in size, grown into the whole community.andquot;

Now the Collards look forward to returning the favors.

andquot;We can’t wait to totally be back on our feet, to be back in the middle of things give back, pay it forward,andquot; Mary says.

They continue to recover, and Mary’s goal for total health is July 1.

Her physical health, anyway.

andquot;We’re feeling better physically, but I don’t think our hearts will ever heal,andquot; she says. andquot;There’s times it’ll hit harder than others, and times we know we have to keep going in Mayce’s big bouncy way.andquot;