EXCLUSIVE: Bay Area brothers who lost dad to cancer, home to wildfire get big surprise
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- A South Bay grandmother's simple request for assistance securing one of this season's hottest toys for her two grandsons turned into the surprise of her life thanks to ABC7 News anchor Dion Lim and 7 On Your Side consumer team producer Brinke Guthrie.
Roseann LaCoursiere had tried every big box store she could imagine, searching for the elusive XBOX X Series gaming system. The device, so rare, the console's maker, Microsoft even announced supply shortages until at least April of 2021. So she emailed 7 On Your Side looking for guidance on how to get her hands on one in time for the holidays for her two grandsons, Winston and Sebastian, ages 12 and 13.
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But these were not any ordinary kids.
According to their mom, Nicole LaCoursiere Wells, the brothers had lost their father to lung cancer about a year ago. He was a man who had never smoked a day in his life. This past wildfire season, their mom's home burned to the ground in the CZU Lightning Complex fires. The family evacuated, not thinking it would be the last time they'd see their home. Soon, they would be without a home and that's when they moved in with grandma in Santa Clara.
Teaming up with Dion once again - the ABC7 News duo went to work, reaching out to their network of contacts within Microsoft, looking for answers. Weeks went by and the odds of learning how to obtain an XBOX X Series seemed slim. Until an email that popped up just days before Thanksgiving.
Microsoft wasn't about to steer Roseanne to how she could get on a waiting list. They would be providing her not only a brand new XBOX X Series for Winston and Sebastian but also two hundred dollars to the Microsoft store and a year unlimited game pass for the console.
Under the guise of doing a follow-up story on recovering from wildfires, Dion headed to Santa Clara to meet with the LaCoursiere family and to surprise them with the good news.
Half way through the interview, Dion stepped back.
"I have a confession to make we are not actually here to do the story you think we are," said Dion.
Hidden in what everyone thought was a camera bag...was the XBOX Series X.
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The entire family, including a wide-eyed Sebastian, cheered. "Oh my GOD!" and "I can't believe this!" cried members of the family who were completely caught off-guard and beaming behind their masks.
While an XBOX, certainly won't replace what this family has lost...it acts as a symbol of hope.
"I'm a little more than a little overwhelmed right now!" said Sebastian.
Grandma Roseann feels the same way.
"This is just absolutely wonderful it brings tears to my eyes."
