Yukon family loses wife and mother to illness months after fire destroys home

A Yukon family is grieving the loss of a member of its own as well as the loss of the family home in two separate tragedies happening only months apart, a relative told News 9 on Thursday. 

Days before Thanksgiving, Shane and Lori Travis’s home caught fire twice, destroying all of their belongings. The fires happened amid Lori’s cancer battle and chemotherapy treatments. 

“It was triple negative breast cancers – among the most fatal. They don’t really know what causes this type of cancer. They tried everything and it spread to her brain, liver [and] lymph nodes,” Kleiner explained. 

Months later, Lori, the wife and mother of the family, came down with the flu before going into cardiac arrest. She passed away last week. 

“It’s been a lot these past several months; this past year and a half. We just never expected – she was 48. She should have never gone this way,” KIeiner said, wiping her tears. 

The Travis family relied on community support in the days following the fire and is still in need of assistance, Kleiner continued. 

“Discovery Church has been wonderful for this family. They’ve been members of that church; I think for 12 years.” 

The church assisted in collecting donations and hosting the funeral service. 

“We had a wonderful family donate the couch and a lot of the kitchen items,” Kleiner began. “They move into their new house on Feb. 20, but it’s really hard to have to move on without her. That’s just a rollercoaster no one wanted to be on.” 

If there is a message, Kleiner added, “It’s to wrap your arms around your loved ones. Every minute is so precious and don’t take advantage of that.” 

You can donate to the family’s GoFundMe here. 

Click here for their Amazon wish list.