Nine days into 2018, Kim Cantin’s life was forever upended by a terrifying natural disaster. Born and raised in Palos Verdes, Cantin was living in the serene enclave of Montecito with her husband Dave and their children, Jack and Lauren. Torrential rains unleashed enormous boulders from a hillside ravaged by deforestation, resulting in a violent mudflow that decimated their home and claimed the lives of Dave, Jack, and their beloved seven-year-old dog, Chester.
Fourteen-year-old Lauren miraculously survived being buried alive for over six hours before her dramatic rescue. Both she and Kim sustained serious injuries from this heart-wrenching catastrophe, emerging to share their harrowing tale.
“I knew I needed a miracle to survive,” Cantin candidly recalls. The gripping details of her story unfold in her newly released book, “Where Yellow Flowers Bloom: A True Story of Hope Through Unimaginable Loss.” With an extraordinary, brave voice and gut-wrenchingly honest prose, Cantin recounts her unimaginable journey.
Cantin notes that yellow flowers often thrive in unexpected places. Despite the overwhelming grief and loss she experienced, she discovered that love could still find a way, helping her find beauty where it shouldn’t exist. “Losing my son and husband and encountering so many people who supported Lauren and me through our loss and search opened me up to deeper senses and emotions,” Cantin reflects.
The devastating mudslide that Cantin survived reshaped her life irrevocably and drove her to pen this book. With the intention of inspiring and supporting others, the book delves into the horrific night that shattered her family, destroyed her home and many others, and caused $177 million in property damage. Cantin candidly shares how she mustered the strength to navigate her grief while embarking on a years-long quest to find her son’s remains.
Photo by Tom Piozet
At 3:30 am, the monstrous wave of mud and debris slammed into the Cantin family home. The following excerpt is from Kim Cantin’s “Where Yellow Flowers Bloom: A True Story of Hope Through Unimaginable Loss”:
“The thick, dark slime seeped in under our doors. Muddy water crept through the bottom of our front walls and doors. I gazed down at Chester, lying near my feet. Urging him, ‘Let’s go!’ Yet, he turned his head, hauntingly meeting my eyes as he lay on the carpet. Chester remained motionless, sensing the futility of escape. A horrifying, unfamiliar noise reached my ears, resembling the roar of Niagara Falls echoing under a walkway. Like an approaching train, imminent and inches away.”
“The vibrations of massive boulders colliding heightened my terror. I twisted to glimpse the front of the house and witnessed a mud wave flooding the room. In shock, I watched the mud, now over three feet deep, engulf everything. It smothered and consumed Chester as I stood helplessly.”
“As the flood rose, so did my panic.”
“Dave urgently shouted, ‘Kim, come on, get out.’ In a horrific heartbeat, Dave vanished, swept away in a torrent of mud. His final words to me before the mud engulfed me were his desperate attempts to save my life.”
“Submerged in the dense, muddy water, I felt like I’d plunged into treacherous white-water rapids without protection. The churning mud crushed and hurled my body, hurtling down the sloping terrain. The agony was crushing, as if compressed from all directions simultaneously. The mud battered my body, hitting from every angle in a chaotic symphony. I surrendered like a ragdoll to the mud’s torrent. Then, my final breath. Drawing sludge instead of air, a stifling calm washed over me, and darkness consumed everything. Twelve hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, prepped for surgery.”
The narrative begins three months prior to the mudslide, introducing readers to the Cantin family brimming with happiness, success, hope, and future plans. The story follows them through festive occasions until disaster strikes. Cantin bares her soul, providing a moment-by-moment account of her nightmare. Lauren contributes an incredible first-person perspective of her ordeal, granting readers insight into their shared horrors. Both mother and daughter find themselves in the hospital when news arrives of David’s demise in the mudslide, his body discovered over a mile from their home. Seventeen-year-old Jack remains missing.
With unyielding determination, the mother-daughter duo embarks on a relentless three-year quest to find Jack. The book chronicles their physical and psychological healing, as well as their journey to rebuild their lives. Readers witness Kim’s remarkable ability to rally emergency services, celebrities such as Kenny Loggins and Rob Lowe, search and rescue teams, local universities, psychics, contractors, neighbors, and more to aid in her search.
After three years of false leads and close calls, Cantin finally discovers Jack’s teddy bear and Superman action figure, allowing her to lay him to rest alongside his father, Dave.
“Where Yellow Flowers Bloom: A True Story of Hope Through Unimaginable Loss” resonates with love and underscores the remarkable power of community and humanity. Cantin finds writing cathartic, and five years after the tragedy that altered her life, she contemplates significant changes, including a potential return to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
It is truly amazing how powerful the human spirit is. I also believe that each of us has a story this powerfully life changing. Thank you so much for sharing this story, Melanie. You, again, write so eloquently, expressing the depth of emotion through your experience and others. I remember Kim, whom I believe is either Class of 1984 or 1985. I didn’t know her but through this article and excerpts from her book, I am encouraged and inspired by her. Thank you, Kim, for sharing your story