ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : When Compassion Should Rule

San Juan Capistrano city officials did the right thing this week when they granted cancer patient Linda Fisher permission to live in a recreational vehicle parked in the driveway of her cousin’s home in the Alto Capistrano area.

A neighboring couple complained that the presence of an RV doesn’t meet city standards for a residential neighborhood. While that’s true, this is that occasional instance where the letter of the rule should be waived in favor of compassion.

Fisher, 41, is suffering from ovarian cancer. She’s lost 140 pounds in the last 18 months and is constantly connected to an intravenous pump.

Recently, she underwent several operations, including an ileostomy to allow her body wastes to be discharged into a plastic bag. Adding to her physical problems is the loss of her leg as a child in a hay-mowing accident. As if that weren’t enough, her mother died in July from lung cancer.

Life is pretty tough for Fisher. Her RV, however, allows her to remain fairly independent because she doesn’t have to go far to perform her daily tasks. She is also near her cousin when she needs help.

While city officials at first expressed sympathy for Fisher, they said she would have to move her RV off her cousin’s property by Aug. 27. But many people spoke up for Fisher, including some who formed “Friends of Linda Fisher.” At their urging and that of Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad), who represents the area, the city granted a three-month reprieve, which could be extended.

The city said Fisher must move her RV to the side of her cousin’s house, out of sight of the offended neighbors. That’s going to cost an estimated $20,000, because a retaining wall will have to be moved. Friends and family are coming to the rescue.

Mayor Gary L. Hausdorfer, in announcing the extension, urged neighbors to be “supportive and sensitive.” It’s good that compassion has finally ruled in this neighborhood dispute.