Hello everyone,
I was not sure how to end this blog and it came to me last weekend on Thanksgiving. I thought it was only fitting to have my last post to my Mom. My courage. I know many of you never met her so if you would allow me...I would like to brag to all of you about my Mom.
Doreen Grace MacKenzie was born on November 26, 1929 in St. John, New Brunswick. She was the oldest child of Gertrude and Harold MacKenzie. After spending part of her childhood in St. John her family moved to Halifax then on to Toronto. My mom went to Vaughan Road Collegiate and was dating a football player when one night...on her front porch....he tried to kiss her goodnight. She threw him off the porch. The next day...she was now known at Vaughan Road Collegiate as "Muscles MacKenzie". My dad went to Vaughan Road also and he too was on the football team. He had never met my Mom but heard about the story of "Muscles MacKenzie". He too thought the fellow my Mom was dating was no good, so he thought to himself..."she must be one pretty smart girl and I gotta meet her". So he did and their courtship began. While they were dating, my Mom had offers to model and won Miss East Coast however on June 15, 1946 at the age of 18, Doreen Grace MacKenzie married Joseph Burnham Woodyatt, 19.
My great grandmother....Mary Jane...was convinced that my parents got married because my mom was pregnant. To this day, no one in our family ever knew if my great grandmother was relieved that my brother Bill came along four years later or mad....because she was wrong. Five years after that my brother Jeff came along. So while my brother Bill was 15 and Jeff was 10, in 1964 I finally came along. While I was growing up, for the most part, Moms were at home. I think we were a lucky generation because of this. I remember my Mom's sense of humour. One of my earliest memories of this is when we lived at Bayview and York Mills. I can remember my Mom saying to me one day "I have always wanted to throw a pie in someones face". At the time I was about four or five. The target was my brother Jeff, 14 or 15 at the time. I remember it was a coconut cream pie. I distinctly remember my Mom telling me where to stand in the hallway while we waited for Jeff to innocently walk through the front door after school. I can remember her giggling with the pie in her hand. The front door knob wiggles, the door opens and my brother is barely through the door and WHAM...out of nowhere....well actually from his mother....is a cream pie in his face. No reason, no explanation just the sound of laughter. Most of it coming from my Mom. She was apologizing and laughing all at the same time. She was even laughing as she was cleaning up the whole mess in the hallway. Yup, that was the sense of humour my Mom had. She loved pranks and practical jokes and no one...not even family....was safe.
Our home was the home to many of my brother's friends and mine. My Mom had a special knack of making you feel welcomed as soon as you entered the house. You never had to worry about calling to say you were stopping by for Christmas dinner. She had enough food to feed an army at any given moment. We would have 20 people over for Christmas dinner and she would always insist on cooking dinner on her own and if you dare trying to do the dishes afterwards she would shue you out of the kitchen and insist you sit in the living room and relax. My mom would always join you...after all the dishes could sit until tomorrow and they did. You didn't cross her. Especially, when she was hosting parties.
I was about 15 years old and we were in the car one day and I remember this moment like it was yesterday. She turned and look at me and said..."I have done my best to raise you to be a good person and I will always be your Mom....but now...I also want to be your friend". She was. My Mom was one of my best friends, and would be for the next six years of my life. I lost more than my Mom, I lost one of my best friends too.
My Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984 and went through chemo and a full mastectomy. We would go to her chemo treatments at North York General and then afterwards go for lunch and do a little shopping. This was back in 84/85 before they had all the medications they do now for nausea. Even back then I knew that her courage was something special. As someone in their 20's you know something about cancer but hear the worse. People being so ill from the treatments, losing their hair and retreating from their lives. Not my Mom. I never saw her sick. Tired sometimes but never sick. She lost some of her hair but never enough to wear a wig. I never heard her cry about the disease, I never heard her ask "why me" and this was the same disease that took her younger sister, Jean, in the early 1970's. I know that what she taught me then, was my courage on December 19, 2002 when I went for my first treatment myself. I know she was with me then and I went for lunch, after the treatments too.
There are moments too, when you see your parents for the first time and see their mortality. When you realize that they will not live forever. For me, it was Thanksgiving Day 1986. My Mom, Dad and I were leaving our house to go up to my brother Jeff's for Thanksgiving Dinner. We lived at a townhouse at the time and there were six steps down to leave the townhouse and then another six outside the house to get to the driveway. It took my Mom about 45 minutes to get down the stairs. She knew what she had to do but she just could not get her feet and legs to do it. My Dad and I had to help her down the stairs. I knew at this point I was going to lose my Mom to breast cancer. She was not going to live forever and she was going to lose her brave battle. This picture here is from Thanksgiving in 1986 at Jeff's house. The little baby she is holding is my nephew Mark who is just one month old and the little guy at her feet is my nephew Bryce who is 19 mths. This is one of my favourite pictures of my Mom. I love the look on her face and on Bryce's. She loved to be around her family and this is probably one of the last pictures taken of her. My Mom passed away, five weeks after this picture was taken. She lost her battle on November 19, 1986 at the age of 58. (The picture is at the bottom with the others)
It is sometimes when people are at their weakest that you see them at their strongest. That was my Mom going down the stairs that day. She knew what was happening, we all did. She was just determined to get down those stairs and spend the day Thanksgiving with her family. Ironically enough, I live in the same house now that picture was taken and last weekend I took a moment and sat in the corner and thought of my Mom. I thought of her courage, her grace and her dignity and thought to myself I was very lucky to have a best friend like that. I was lucky that this best friend .....was my Mom.
So to my Mom...thank you for being my courage each and every day.
Leave your mark. My Mom did.
So this is it. I have finished my blog and I think it has come full circle. Thank you for reading it and allowing me to share with you my great adventure. Thank you for the kind words you have said to me about it. Thank you for your support each and every day. Thank you for your donations. I hope that you feel that it will really make a difference in the future. I do . It really has been a blast !!
With love and thanks to ALL OF YOU.
M.J.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Closing Ceremonies- Spirit of Community
Hello everyone,
Well, the walks are over and I am very proud to say that the Centurians have raised over $120,000 for breast cancer research across Canada. WOW...that is a lot of money. I am proud to be associated (in a distant way) with a company out in Elmira called PIB/RWAM. There are approximately 200 people in this office who organized raffles and bake sales to raise money for breast cancer research. These raffles and bake sales were an incredible success. People worked very hard and they raised an amazing $18,000. The people in this company have a very strong sense of community. A fellow by the name of Bruce Burnham had a hand in it also. Turns out Bruce's family tree took a wrong turn some generations ago and we are actually distant cousins. Bruce's last name "Burnham" was my father's middle name. I am sure Bruce has hoped that the "distance" in distance cousin was greater but no such luck! Thank you to each and everyone of you. You overwhelmed me.
Joe Wellman is involved with an association that is called the Knights of the Priory. This priory has a very long history and is a world wide organization. They had a gala night back in May to raise money for breast cancer research. This night raised and incredible amount of money, over $14,000 to be exact. Joe and his wife Christine worked very hard to make this night a success and boy was it ever. To Joe, Christine and to the Knights of Priory and the people involved in this great organization. Thank you. You too overwhelmed me with your support.
Some of us have decided to go to the closing ceremonies and it for me it was the perfect ending to a perfect adventure. At four o'clock the last walkers came in and the volunteers, walkers, survivors and all of their friends and family headed in to the Direct Energy building at the Ex.
I would guess there must be close to 7500 people here between the spectators and the people involved in the event. The spectators are seated in the bleacher seats, the walkers and volunteers are in the middle of the lobby and they have the survivors lined up on either sides of the walls. I would guess that there were about 500 survivors all with our pink shirts on that say "LEAVE YOUR MARK. I DID"....There are women of all ages here from ages of mid 20's and up. Seeing that many pink shirts is a very powerful sight. It is very emotional and there are lots of tears. For the triumphs we just had and the feeling of strength we are celebrating, to the emptiness that in your heart for the ones we are missing. It is such a high and a very emotional low all at the same time.
The hall is very hot and I have my pink shirt around my shoulders until we have to entered the main hall. In hindsight this was great planning on my part because I was the only red shirt with BELIEVE in a sea of pink so I was able to been seen my teammates and friends.
I am at the end of the line and from in the lobby you start to hear this dull roar that gets louder and louder. Your thoughts are no longer looking inward and I look up and the roar is loud now...real loud. People are just clapping. And clapping louder. For about one minute...people just clapping feeling the excitement of the moment. Standing there...letting this noise surround me. It is not noise though...it is not just clapping....it is people coming together in this spirit that is now in the room. This spirit of community. This spirit of hope and vision. A vision that includes the belief that breast cancer will be beaten. You can feel it. It is the greatest irony that cancer has. It works so hard to beat the human spirit but in reality it unites us. It is uniting us now in this hall. You can feel the same thought...with this type of commitment, dedication and love...this disease cannot win. It is not strong enough and the clapping is only one sign of just how strong our spirit is, how strong our community is.
This is when you see the first white shirts walking towards us. Their smiles are so wide, they are clapping at us, there are so many tears, tears in their eyes, tears in ours...the survivors. These white shirts, they are the volunteers. The wonderful volunteers who give so much to us as walkers. They are never without energy, a kind word and the right words of support. If it was not for the volunteers this weekend would not happen. I think I have said it before...I would much rather walk 60 kms then stand on my feet at intersections for hours in the heat or rain. Then stand on my feet handing out food and drinks all day. In Toronto, 12oo people volunteer for one weekend in September and I bet 500 of them walked by us. It is so nice to be able to thank them and acknowledge their support.
Next comes in a sea of red. No, not my team but rather the medical team. Again, just incredible people who basically spend their weekend tending to people's feet. There are lots of sore legs and knees but I would guess the majority of ailments would be blisters and lots of them. They have tears as do we. Again, we could not do this walk without them. Thank you.
Then come in the black shirts. These black shirts represent the people who work at CauseForce. There are only 30 of them but they are a powerful force. They have so much invested in this weekend and all of the weekends. Each one of these people travelled across the country and have been at each of the cities. You can see the exhaustion in their faces but at the same time they are so elated. The energy of Toronto is just what they needed. Thank you to all the people of CauseForce. You are an incredible group of people who are very dedicated and professional people who also just happen to have huge hearts. Thank you.
Then...most fitting....Chad. Chad is leading the way into the hall with all of the blue shirts. Somewhere in the crowd his Mom is waiting for him. These blue shirts represent the walkers. The walkers who are walking for their families, friends and neighbours. Just an incredible sea of baby blue shirts. People in baby blue walking towards us and they are probably eight across. It is an incredible sight. I know my friends are in this sea, that Karen and Joseph are there and that Bev and Tina are there (Joanne's mother-in-law and sister-in-law) and that this sea, that is walking to me....walked for us....survivors...I know that in their eyes, these pink shirts also represent the ones they know who did not survive...the memories of people they hold so dear and miss so much. I know that while I am standing there clapping... I represent a memory... because I am also representing my Mom and her memory. It is an honour to represent so much.
So, as we are standing there and the noise is so loud, out from the blue sea comes Karen and Joseph. She has tears in her eyes so do I. As I am there giving her a hug, I think of all the people that have supported Pat and I. How we were not doing this alone but we have a huge wave of support that we have been riding since the first weekend in June in Ottawa. I am sure Karen and Joseph have huge support also, but just having friends walking and crewing for you makes such a difference. They did it though and I am very proud of them.
Then the next people I see from this sea of people are Bev and Tina. Joanne's in-laws. It is such an emotional moment for me. Seeing Bev and Tina just brings my whole year full circle for me. Standing here in this hall at this moment with them is perfect. It was while I was watching Joanne and her whole family that I realized that in despite of this great loss named Joanne, something was rising because of it. A sense of community. A sense of unity. This was all around me in the hall and now, it was right here in front of me. The best part of community and unity are here. I wish I could describe it better, but I can't. It is hard to put into words what the simply actions of how people go about living their daily lives, inspires you to want to do better. They just do. I will always remember it as one of the best hugs that I have ever given or better yet received.
By now I am starting to worry a little bit that I have missed my team. Maybe they walked down the right side of the hall and I was on the left. I cannot believe the amount of walkers. It is overwhelming. This sea of blue shirts just keeps coming with no end in sight. Finally, I see Tanis and Deb and the rest of the team. This beach ball that has followed me around all summer is back. It is now doubled in size! They represent to me what I did not appreciate until December 3, 2002 and that is just how lucky I am. I knew I was never alone in my fight. I had a whole group of people behind me who were my community and were unified with me in fighting my fight. Those were good hugs too!
So you must be thinking...wow...MJ is really doing a lot of thinking standing there. Truth is, this is not an exaggeration....I was standing there clapping for at least 12 minutes. I was trying to time it. There must of been at least 2,500 people who walked by me in their blue shirts. My arms were sore because of course I was clapping at each walker/volunteer who walked by me and I should of made this part of my training routine. I was bound and determined though not to stop for anyone. So as the last walker goes by in their blue shirt it is now our turn. Since I am near the end, closest to the hall where everyone is now waiting for us to enter I now watch this sea of pink shirts walk by me. Again, the sheer numbers amaze and sadden me at the same time. I estimate that there is probably close to 700 pink shirts in the room. This number does not include the ones who have already left to go home to soak their feet. I now see that we probably have as many survivors walking in Toronto and we had in some cities in Canada. As we hold hands, united by the fight we have fought, now part of a community that involves the word "cancer" we enter the hall. As we enter, the reception we receive is almost deafening. Little kids hanging over the sides of the bleachers waving to us...people giving us high five's and clapping and crying all at the same time. The emotion is so high. There in a small arena in downtown Toronto, on a Sunday afternoon in September are 7,500 people who don't know each other, celebrating together and crying together. All have a common goal...to see the end of breast cancer. Until this happens a little community will be formed each weekend in September and the people of that community will be unified in the belief that they will be making a difference. They already are.
To my Mom and Joanne who will continue to be my courage and inspiration.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Well, the walks are over and I am very proud to say that the Centurians have raised over $120,000 for breast cancer research across Canada. WOW...that is a lot of money. I am proud to be associated (in a distant way) with a company out in Elmira called PIB/RWAM. There are approximately 200 people in this office who organized raffles and bake sales to raise money for breast cancer research. These raffles and bake sales were an incredible success. People worked very hard and they raised an amazing $18,000. The people in this company have a very strong sense of community. A fellow by the name of Bruce Burnham had a hand in it also. Turns out Bruce's family tree took a wrong turn some generations ago and we are actually distant cousins. Bruce's last name "Burnham" was my father's middle name. I am sure Bruce has hoped that the "distance" in distance cousin was greater but no such luck! Thank you to each and everyone of you. You overwhelmed me.
Joe Wellman is involved with an association that is called the Knights of the Priory. This priory has a very long history and is a world wide organization. They had a gala night back in May to raise money for breast cancer research. This night raised and incredible amount of money, over $14,000 to be exact. Joe and his wife Christine worked very hard to make this night a success and boy was it ever. To Joe, Christine and to the Knights of Priory and the people involved in this great organization. Thank you. You too overwhelmed me with your support.
Some of us have decided to go to the closing ceremonies and it for me it was the perfect ending to a perfect adventure. At four o'clock the last walkers came in and the volunteers, walkers, survivors and all of their friends and family headed in to the Direct Energy building at the Ex.
I would guess there must be close to 7500 people here between the spectators and the people involved in the event. The spectators are seated in the bleacher seats, the walkers and volunteers are in the middle of the lobby and they have the survivors lined up on either sides of the walls. I would guess that there were about 500 survivors all with our pink shirts on that say "LEAVE YOUR MARK. I DID"....There are women of all ages here from ages of mid 20's and up. Seeing that many pink shirts is a very powerful sight. It is very emotional and there are lots of tears. For the triumphs we just had and the feeling of strength we are celebrating, to the emptiness that in your heart for the ones we are missing. It is such a high and a very emotional low all at the same time.
The hall is very hot and I have my pink shirt around my shoulders until we have to entered the main hall. In hindsight this was great planning on my part because I was the only red shirt with BELIEVE in a sea of pink so I was able to been seen my teammates and friends.
I am at the end of the line and from in the lobby you start to hear this dull roar that gets louder and louder. Your thoughts are no longer looking inward and I look up and the roar is loud now...real loud. People are just clapping. And clapping louder. For about one minute...people just clapping feeling the excitement of the moment. Standing there...letting this noise surround me. It is not noise though...it is not just clapping....it is people coming together in this spirit that is now in the room. This spirit of community. This spirit of hope and vision. A vision that includes the belief that breast cancer will be beaten. You can feel it. It is the greatest irony that cancer has. It works so hard to beat the human spirit but in reality it unites us. It is uniting us now in this hall. You can feel the same thought...with this type of commitment, dedication and love...this disease cannot win. It is not strong enough and the clapping is only one sign of just how strong our spirit is, how strong our community is.
This is when you see the first white shirts walking towards us. Their smiles are so wide, they are clapping at us, there are so many tears, tears in their eyes, tears in ours...the survivors. These white shirts, they are the volunteers. The wonderful volunteers who give so much to us as walkers. They are never without energy, a kind word and the right words of support. If it was not for the volunteers this weekend would not happen. I think I have said it before...I would much rather walk 60 kms then stand on my feet at intersections for hours in the heat or rain. Then stand on my feet handing out food and drinks all day. In Toronto, 12oo people volunteer for one weekend in September and I bet 500 of them walked by us. It is so nice to be able to thank them and acknowledge their support.
Next comes in a sea of red. No, not my team but rather the medical team. Again, just incredible people who basically spend their weekend tending to people's feet. There are lots of sore legs and knees but I would guess the majority of ailments would be blisters and lots of them. They have tears as do we. Again, we could not do this walk without them. Thank you.
Then come in the black shirts. These black shirts represent the people who work at CauseForce. There are only 30 of them but they are a powerful force. They have so much invested in this weekend and all of the weekends. Each one of these people travelled across the country and have been at each of the cities. You can see the exhaustion in their faces but at the same time they are so elated. The energy of Toronto is just what they needed. Thank you to all the people of CauseForce. You are an incredible group of people who are very dedicated and professional people who also just happen to have huge hearts. Thank you.
Then...most fitting....Chad. Chad is leading the way into the hall with all of the blue shirts. Somewhere in the crowd his Mom is waiting for him. These blue shirts represent the walkers. The walkers who are walking for their families, friends and neighbours. Just an incredible sea of baby blue shirts. People in baby blue walking towards us and they are probably eight across. It is an incredible sight. I know my friends are in this sea, that Karen and Joseph are there and that Bev and Tina are there (Joanne's mother-in-law and sister-in-law) and that this sea, that is walking to me....walked for us....survivors...I know that in their eyes, these pink shirts also represent the ones they know who did not survive...the memories of people they hold so dear and miss so much. I know that while I am standing there clapping... I represent a memory... because I am also representing my Mom and her memory. It is an honour to represent so much.
So, as we are standing there and the noise is so loud, out from the blue sea comes Karen and Joseph. She has tears in her eyes so do I. As I am there giving her a hug, I think of all the people that have supported Pat and I. How we were not doing this alone but we have a huge wave of support that we have been riding since the first weekend in June in Ottawa. I am sure Karen and Joseph have huge support also, but just having friends walking and crewing for you makes such a difference. They did it though and I am very proud of them.
Then the next people I see from this sea of people are Bev and Tina. Joanne's in-laws. It is such an emotional moment for me. Seeing Bev and Tina just brings my whole year full circle for me. Standing here in this hall at this moment with them is perfect. It was while I was watching Joanne and her whole family that I realized that in despite of this great loss named Joanne, something was rising because of it. A sense of community. A sense of unity. This was all around me in the hall and now, it was right here in front of me. The best part of community and unity are here. I wish I could describe it better, but I can't. It is hard to put into words what the simply actions of how people go about living their daily lives, inspires you to want to do better. They just do. I will always remember it as one of the best hugs that I have ever given or better yet received.
By now I am starting to worry a little bit that I have missed my team. Maybe they walked down the right side of the hall and I was on the left. I cannot believe the amount of walkers. It is overwhelming. This sea of blue shirts just keeps coming with no end in sight. Finally, I see Tanis and Deb and the rest of the team. This beach ball that has followed me around all summer is back. It is now doubled in size! They represent to me what I did not appreciate until December 3, 2002 and that is just how lucky I am. I knew I was never alone in my fight. I had a whole group of people behind me who were my community and were unified with me in fighting my fight. Those were good hugs too!
So you must be thinking...wow...MJ is really doing a lot of thinking standing there. Truth is, this is not an exaggeration....I was standing there clapping for at least 12 minutes. I was trying to time it. There must of been at least 2,500 people who walked by me in their blue shirts. My arms were sore because of course I was clapping at each walker/volunteer who walked by me and I should of made this part of my training routine. I was bound and determined though not to stop for anyone. So as the last walker goes by in their blue shirt it is now our turn. Since I am near the end, closest to the hall where everyone is now waiting for us to enter I now watch this sea of pink shirts walk by me. Again, the sheer numbers amaze and sadden me at the same time. I estimate that there is probably close to 700 pink shirts in the room. This number does not include the ones who have already left to go home to soak their feet. I now see that we probably have as many survivors walking in Toronto and we had in some cities in Canada. As we hold hands, united by the fight we have fought, now part of a community that involves the word "cancer" we enter the hall. As we enter, the reception we receive is almost deafening. Little kids hanging over the sides of the bleachers waving to us...people giving us high five's and clapping and crying all at the same time. The emotion is so high. There in a small arena in downtown Toronto, on a Sunday afternoon in September are 7,500 people who don't know each other, celebrating together and crying together. All have a common goal...to see the end of breast cancer. Until this happens a little community will be formed each weekend in September and the people of that community will be unified in the belief that they will be making a difference. They already are.
To my Mom and Joanne who will continue to be my courage and inspiration.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Sunday in Toronto
Hello everyone,
Well, we got a good night sleep Saturday night and the fire alarm did not go off this night. So we are up at 5 am to meet in the lobby for 6. It is pouring rain outside and does not look good for a day of walking 25km. We get organized and get up to Downsview for 7:30 and it is raining here too but not as hard. My friend Deb though, does not really know that it is raining. She is just so exhausted and it is only getting worse as the early morning goes on. You see she is tired from the walking yesterday and it is pretty early, but on top of that...if Deb is your roomie next year...do not leave any pills lying around because she will just take them. Whether they are hers or not. Could be a painkiller or as in this particular case a NIGHT TIME COLD MEDICATION. It seems that Tanis left her pill on the night stand from the night before and Sunday morning when Deb woke up she saw this pill...a blue one....figured it was a Advil so popped it. Now, as the day wears on so does the cold medication and she is very sleepy. Well...you can just imagine the teasing she received then and will continue to receive for the rest of her life. We have all made a note not to leave any coffee mate or sugar on a table next year because who knows what she will try with that! I am still laughing about this now as I am writing this. Oh Deb.
The rain does not dampen our spirits though and everyone is excited to start walking. There are some pretty bad blisters on our team though. Marion has some very bad blisters on the back of her heels which did not heal from the walk in Vancouver four weeks earlier. Tanis has "toe condoms" on three of her toes and her big toenail on each foot is black and are infected. They started to turn black in Montreal two weeks earlier and she will probably lose both toenails. She knew that before walking in Toronto, she walked anyway. Our "newbie" Wanda has blisters but she is still walking... and the list of injuries and stiffness that we all have goes on and on. Nobody complains though and everyone knows that they just have to get through today and the blisters will heal, the sore muscles will get better and they will be able to say "I did it".
I would also like to give some "honourable mention" to Chad, Karen and Joseph. Chad is the gentleman who has done every single walk in every city every year since the walks started. Toronto was his 22nd walk. Unbelievable. True commitment and dedication to seeing the end of breast cancer. His mother was just diagnosed in the summer and she would be there to see him at the end of the walk in Toronto. I know that all the walks are emotional but Toronto was different for him. You could see it in his eyes. I must mention again that he will probably do all of them again next year. Karen and Joseph. They did it. I can not believe that Joseph was able to finish Saturday. He looked so sick on Saturday that if I was a "betting person" I would of lost a lot of money. We saw them on Sunday and he looked much better but was still not feeling great. We were able to celebrate with them at the end with a cold beer. Congratulations to all of you. It was a pleasure to meet and walk with you.
Peeps. They are such a big part of our team and they know just what to do and are just so encouraging for us and the other walkers too. We get so many people coming up to us during the walk saying "your friends are so great and are so much fun". Truer words were never spoken. I know that this weekend is not easy for them either. They do so much driving and running around that they are exhausted at the end too. They just give us so much energy. Here is just one tiny example. I forgot to mention on Saturday the word...Popsicles. It was around 80 degrees on Saturday and we turn the corner and who is there but our peeps holding Popsicles. It might as well been beer. It was such a welcome relief to the team and we loved it. Mizey, (long time peep) has one of those whistles that would stop a cab in New York. We love it! While we were eating our Popsicles on Saturday there was one fellow who was walking alone and was probably in his late 50's early 60's. You could see that he was struggling. His hair was very disheveled, he was sweating quite a bit and looked very tired. Without a word Mizey grabs an extra Popsicle walks across the street and offers it to him. Well...the look on this man's face was unbelievable. He was so appreciative. I am sure it was exactly what he needed to keep going. When I asked my team what were some of their favourite moments on the weekend, this was one of Mizey's. Her heart is as good as her whistle.
So we are pretty much in the front/middle of the pack of walkers in the morning. It is just a light drizzle in the morning and the team is feeling pretty good. Me...I am feeling EXCELLENT. I am just so happy to be finishing these walks in Toronto with my friends. They have been such a huge part of my recovery. One of the toughest things about being diagnosed with breast cancer is telling people about it. I knew that I was going to be fine, but your natural reaction is to be terrified for the person who is telling you the news. I can pretty much tell you where I was when I called each one of my family members or friends. It was around Christmas and it is hard to bring the conversation from Christmas shopping to diagnosis. You can hear the shock and fear in their voices in the first words they speak. It broke my heart each and every time. The best part of it...bald or with hair...I know that I am very lucky to have the people I do in my life because either way they will still tease me, which I know means they love me. That is one of the great gifts this disease gives you. Many people can go through their lives and not know how they are loved, they do not appreciate how much they are loved....this disease gave me both. I now have the comfort of knowing how many people in my life...family, friends and business colleagues... care about me. I get to spend the rest of my life knowing this and never taking it for granted. It is a great gift...I just wish there was an easier way to get it!
Around 10 the rain stops and it is overcast but the temperature is perfect. Again, we love the new route. People are out again cheering us on and feeding us. We are just before lunch and we come into a neighbourhood where a family (I think Portuguese) have a table out on the sidewalk for us. On this table are homemade cookies, homemade breads of all types, desserts and sweets. There are three generations of this family there. The grandparents who must be in their 80's are sitting in chairs and just have the greatest smiles on their faces. I don't think they understood much English but they could tell by our chatter and our smiles that what they had done was special. They must have baked these for days and I am not kidding about this...days. Another lady and her daughter further down this same neighbourhood are offering all of the walkers hot chocolate with Bailey's. Imagine. They were a big hit with our team. There is nothing like a little hot chocolate with Bailey's to wash down the fresh desserts and breads you just had a couple blocks before! I think our "newbie" Mike summed it up best..."I can't believe that I would of walked 60 kms this weekend and actually GAINED weight!" He was right. The people of Toronto are just so great. It really is "Toronto the Good".
So we arrive at lunch and our peeps have staked out a spot for us, bought plastic bags for us so no one has to sit on the wet ground, have my little throne (a small lawn chair) waiting for me. They have offered to pick up Mr. Sub for us again, they picked some up for us yesterday and have some coffees waiting for us. The peeps love the new route because it is easier for them to follow us and see us more often during the walk. So we get the chance to spend some time together as a team, fix our blisters and just chat about the day. It was a nice break. But, we still got some work to do and we have to "git'er done". So as pack up and get ready to walk again, the DJ that is in the park at lunch for our entertainment puts on some good dance music. So as we are packing we are all dancing a little bit. Heads tilting to the rhythm slightly, a hip being thrown out there a little bit, a slight twist action going on till eventually we form a circle and are doing a little white girl dancing and clapping to the beat. So for fun, I jump into the middle of this circle and start to dance. You know that dance...like you do at weddings...that one. I jump back out of the circle clearly thinking that someone else would jump in. That is the routine right. Well, no one does. So I think to myself...OK maybe they are not getting this so I will try this again...back in I jump. Again, do my duty and jump back out while encouraging my team mates to jump in. Well...if you ever want to make Type A personalities shy...while sober....try to get them to dance. I am now shocked. Come on. OK, well we obviously have to get this party going because clearly they are a little tired and out of energy...so back in I jump. Now I am dancing like no one is watching. Problem is....a couple of hundred now are. So you know when you know you have to make a split second decision of commitment and pray it is the right one. I have that moment. That moment where you have to say "Go big or Go home". Well, sometimes I wish that switch would go on in my head that said "Go home" but no...instead I "Go Big". Big mistake. Now I am no longer just dancing like I have had a couple too many at a wedding... I have somehow now added a bad version of a strip tease to the dance. Yes folks...me...dancing a strip tease. I am fully aware of what I am doing but.....I am committed. I am going BIG. So, off comes the jacket and I am now waving it over my head and throw it to one of my team mates. Next, the shirt comes off. Don't worry...I have two on. While I am doing this though I am just hoping the bottom shirt stays on too. Again, I am committed so I have to continue. Luckily for all involved...it does. So now I am waving my shirt over my head like a rodeo star and fling that to one of my teammates. Now the shorts. I begin to pretend I am going to take them off but that's where it ends. In between the layers of clothing coming off I have now turned one of my walking poles into a dance pole. So there it is...me in a park with a couple of hundred people watching this act, surrounded by my friends, dancing like no one is watching. Yet I am feel each and every eye staring at me. You know what though...I really didn't care. The laughter that I saw on my friends faces and the people in the park made it all worthwhile. I don't even remember the song I was dancing too...I just remember the smiles and hearing the laughter. It will stay with me for a long time.
So after this little exhibition we seemed to have more energy and we only had 13 kms left to walk. I am not sure where lunch was but we were not far from Yonge and Davisville and the route would take us right along Davisville. I wish I knew this earlier because I have a cousin who lives on Davisville and she is a very special person in my life. Her name is Leslie and she has been one of the best teachers I have ever had. Leslie had taught me about treating everyone fairly, always look on the bright side of things no matter what life throws at you. I drew a lot of strength from her while I was going through my treatments. She does two crosswords everyday, reads constantly, knows more about movies and tv shows than Roger Ebert and plays seven sports and has gone to the Provincial games once for swimming and has just been told she will be going again in 2008 for swimming. Leslie does public speaking about her involvement in Special Olympics and is on a government committee for Special Olympics. I know that her comments are valued on this committee because Leslie is a two time Provincial Special Olympic athlete. She has more medals and trophies than all other Woodyatt's put together. She plays floor hockey (a family tradition she says) baseball, soccer, bowling, swimming, skiing, had done shot put and wants to try snowshoeing if they have it this winter. I thought about her quite a bit during the summer and knew how determined she was in her sports and in life. I took her as an example when I needed that extra energy to get me through the next 500 yards or 5kms. If Leslie can do what she does every day with such a great outlook and such determination I can do these walks. She is a very special person. So as I look to her building and search the area....there she is standing out in front of her apartment....waiting for us with a big smile on her face and her red "BELIEVE" shirt on that I gave to her last year. I was so happy to see her I broke out into a run. It was so important to me to see her. She does not realize how in her own quiet way she is such a source of strength to me. I wanted to share this with her. So I ran and gave her a great big hug and she was giggling. She was so proud of herself standing there in her shirt and she wanted to make sure I knew she had it on. It was definitely a highlight for me.
Now from lunch to seeing Leslie the day has just been great. The day is still overcast but that is OK because we are now heading south towards the lake. Again, we love the route and it takes us through a new part of the town. I have not been to this part of the town but I certainly loved it. The route took us right to the SteamWhistle Brewery! Wow! We all thought it won't be open...but it was...we thought we would not be able to get a beer....but we could....we thought we would have to pay for it....but we didn't!!! SteamWhistle had open up their brewery and was handing out free beer to all the walkers. It was great. Most of us stopped and enjoyed a glass of hops. It was great advertising for them but at the same time very generous of them too. It tasted good too!
We head out of the brewery and are now walking along west along the Lakeshore. We are close, very close to the end. My thoughts are now racing and I am trying to concentrate on what my friends are saying but it is hard. I am thinking of my Mom. I am thinking of my Dad. I am thinking of Joanne. I am looking at my friends. I am thinking of all of the people who donated and have supported me. I think of our great country Canada and how proud I am to say "I am Canadian". I am trying to keep all of my emotions in check. I am laughing and crying inside all at the same time. We are now walking along the park just outside of the Princess gates and my friend Tanis asks me a question...as I turn to answer her...this rollerblader going about 75 mph is coming down the path at me and almost hits me. Almost takes me out. It was exactly what I needed though because after I recover I start laughing. That would be just my luck...walk in six cities....I am now literally less than one km from the EX...I have walked 459 kms and I almost get taken out by a rollerblader with less that a 1km to go. It takes my mind off of my thoughts for a minute and we have a good laugh over it.
Now I can't avoid it. I have to deal with my emotions and thoughts. I still feel great. I feel like I could walk 60 kms on Sunday. I swear my feet did not actually hit the ground all weekend. As we walk through the gates the clapping starts, the high fives from strangers and volunteers start and then you see the people lined up cheering you in. I am home. I am home. I did it. Pat did it. We did it. My friends are hugging us and giving us such support. We are walking along the sidewalk of the Energy Building, arms around each other. In our red shirts with BELIEVE across the front. People are cheering and standing saying "Thanks for walking" "Way to go" "You did it" "We Believe"...It is such an incredible feeling. The noise of the cheering is getting louder and louder as we are nearing the entrance to the building. I hear my name called from the crowd and I look over to see Joanne's sister standing there cheering us in. She has a t-shirt on that has Joanne's picture on it. I run over and give her a hug. Seeing her, seeing Joanne's picture brings it all home. I think of this time last year when we all knew that Joanne was not doing well. At the closing ceremonies I picked up an extra pink shirt for Joanne and I went to the hospital the next day to give it to her but I was too late...she had just passed away but I gave the shirt to the nurse and left. I knew that when I got to the hospital that it was too late. You could actually feel the sadness even though I was not told of her passing until the next day. Joanne's husband Mike, later told me the shirt was with her. I thought of that each time I picked up my pink shirt this year.
We now turn the corner and the crowd is big and the noise goes up even higher. I am now holding on to my friends. Again, I hear my name and I am so happy...there is Mike and Kay (Joanne's Mom) hugs and some tears again. They are such a terrific family. I wish I had more time to spend with them but it is pretty chaotic now. So we take 10 more steps and there is a sea of red "BELIEVE" shirts to my left. There is another group of friends there cheering us on and their kids are with them. I am done. There standing there with shy smiles are Zach 8, Stephen, 7, Alexis, 5 and Aylesse, 4 all standing there with their red shirts on that say "BELIEVE". I was toast. I was walking for them. You see those little faces and you just want to protect them always. I know you can't but wouldn't it be great to know that maybe one weekend in September maybe changed their life in a better way. One weekend. Change a life of a child. BELIEVE. If I wasn't crying now a head snapping sob was not that far away. So after playing with kids there to my right are the peeps. Standing there waiting patiently for us to get through. The first one I see is Patti, another long time peep who peeped for us in Ottawa, Montreal (police station Patti) and Toronto, and I gave her a hug. A hug of exhilaration, exhaustion, emotion, thanks and a little bit of a collapse of relief. We still have 50 yards left and I am trying to regain some composure and a little bit of dignity but it is tough. My head is up because I don't want to miss a thing but the chin is quivering and I think my lip my be bleeding a bit. I now have a magnum of cold champagne in my hand...Pat arranged this....and we are walking in the building and the cheering is still loud. We get to the end and we are done. We did it. Life does go on though and our team makes a bee line for the bathrooms. Well, we can't wait for them so Pat and I pop the champagne and have a toast to our success and one by one the team comes out from the bathroom. Champagne all around. So there we are in a circle again, magnum of champagne with big grins on our faces and lots of loud laughter. I wish I could of bottled it. I couldn't but I did the next best thing...I kept the empty bottle. We did not drink all of the champagne though we wanted to share it with our peeps and our friends waiting for us outside. So out we went and we had another toast and I told them all that I loved them. I meant it. See what this does, it gives you the opportunity to be able to tell people who are important to you...they are important to you. It's special and it feels good. I am going to do it more often and maybe... just maybe... I may dance a little while I am doing it.
Well, I am not ready to sign off yet. I will still be doing two more entries that I hope to have on by this weekend. I am going to miss this blog because it has been so much fun. More fun than I ever expected. I hope that all of you have enjoyed it as much as I have writing it. To all of you, I can only hope you know how much your support has meant to me. I wish that I could thank all of you personally and I hope that over time I can. You overwhelm me and amaze me all at once. On December 3, 2002 I was told that I had breast cancer but those words have brought so much more into my life than they ever took away.
To my mom....your courage is my courage. Thank you. To Joanne....you inspired me to try and make a difference. Thank you.
Leave your mark. WE ALL DID.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Well, we got a good night sleep Saturday night and the fire alarm did not go off this night. So we are up at 5 am to meet in the lobby for 6. It is pouring rain outside and does not look good for a day of walking 25km. We get organized and get up to Downsview for 7:30 and it is raining here too but not as hard. My friend Deb though, does not really know that it is raining. She is just so exhausted and it is only getting worse as the early morning goes on. You see she is tired from the walking yesterday and it is pretty early, but on top of that...if Deb is your roomie next year...do not leave any pills lying around because she will just take them. Whether they are hers or not. Could be a painkiller or as in this particular case a NIGHT TIME COLD MEDICATION. It seems that Tanis left her pill on the night stand from the night before and Sunday morning when Deb woke up she saw this pill...a blue one....figured it was a Advil so popped it. Now, as the day wears on so does the cold medication and she is very sleepy. Well...you can just imagine the teasing she received then and will continue to receive for the rest of her life. We have all made a note not to leave any coffee mate or sugar on a table next year because who knows what she will try with that! I am still laughing about this now as I am writing this. Oh Deb.
The rain does not dampen our spirits though and everyone is excited to start walking. There are some pretty bad blisters on our team though. Marion has some very bad blisters on the back of her heels which did not heal from the walk in Vancouver four weeks earlier. Tanis has "toe condoms" on three of her toes and her big toenail on each foot is black and are infected. They started to turn black in Montreal two weeks earlier and she will probably lose both toenails. She knew that before walking in Toronto, she walked anyway. Our "newbie" Wanda has blisters but she is still walking... and the list of injuries and stiffness that we all have goes on and on. Nobody complains though and everyone knows that they just have to get through today and the blisters will heal, the sore muscles will get better and they will be able to say "I did it".
I would also like to give some "honourable mention" to Chad, Karen and Joseph. Chad is the gentleman who has done every single walk in every city every year since the walks started. Toronto was his 22nd walk. Unbelievable. True commitment and dedication to seeing the end of breast cancer. His mother was just diagnosed in the summer and she would be there to see him at the end of the walk in Toronto. I know that all the walks are emotional but Toronto was different for him. You could see it in his eyes. I must mention again that he will probably do all of them again next year. Karen and Joseph. They did it. I can not believe that Joseph was able to finish Saturday. He looked so sick on Saturday that if I was a "betting person" I would of lost a lot of money. We saw them on Sunday and he looked much better but was still not feeling great. We were able to celebrate with them at the end with a cold beer. Congratulations to all of you. It was a pleasure to meet and walk with you.
Peeps. They are such a big part of our team and they know just what to do and are just so encouraging for us and the other walkers too. We get so many people coming up to us during the walk saying "your friends are so great and are so much fun". Truer words were never spoken. I know that this weekend is not easy for them either. They do so much driving and running around that they are exhausted at the end too. They just give us so much energy. Here is just one tiny example. I forgot to mention on Saturday the word...Popsicles. It was around 80 degrees on Saturday and we turn the corner and who is there but our peeps holding Popsicles. It might as well been beer. It was such a welcome relief to the team and we loved it. Mizey, (long time peep) has one of those whistles that would stop a cab in New York. We love it! While we were eating our Popsicles on Saturday there was one fellow who was walking alone and was probably in his late 50's early 60's. You could see that he was struggling. His hair was very disheveled, he was sweating quite a bit and looked very tired. Without a word Mizey grabs an extra Popsicle walks across the street and offers it to him. Well...the look on this man's face was unbelievable. He was so appreciative. I am sure it was exactly what he needed to keep going. When I asked my team what were some of their favourite moments on the weekend, this was one of Mizey's. Her heart is as good as her whistle.
So we are pretty much in the front/middle of the pack of walkers in the morning. It is just a light drizzle in the morning and the team is feeling pretty good. Me...I am feeling EXCELLENT. I am just so happy to be finishing these walks in Toronto with my friends. They have been such a huge part of my recovery. One of the toughest things about being diagnosed with breast cancer is telling people about it. I knew that I was going to be fine, but your natural reaction is to be terrified for the person who is telling you the news. I can pretty much tell you where I was when I called each one of my family members or friends. It was around Christmas and it is hard to bring the conversation from Christmas shopping to diagnosis. You can hear the shock and fear in their voices in the first words they speak. It broke my heart each and every time. The best part of it...bald or with hair...I know that I am very lucky to have the people I do in my life because either way they will still tease me, which I know means they love me. That is one of the great gifts this disease gives you. Many people can go through their lives and not know how they are loved, they do not appreciate how much they are loved....this disease gave me both. I now have the comfort of knowing how many people in my life...family, friends and business colleagues... care about me. I get to spend the rest of my life knowing this and never taking it for granted. It is a great gift...I just wish there was an easier way to get it!
Around 10 the rain stops and it is overcast but the temperature is perfect. Again, we love the new route. People are out again cheering us on and feeding us. We are just before lunch and we come into a neighbourhood where a family (I think Portuguese) have a table out on the sidewalk for us. On this table are homemade cookies, homemade breads of all types, desserts and sweets. There are three generations of this family there. The grandparents who must be in their 80's are sitting in chairs and just have the greatest smiles on their faces. I don't think they understood much English but they could tell by our chatter and our smiles that what they had done was special. They must have baked these for days and I am not kidding about this...days. Another lady and her daughter further down this same neighbourhood are offering all of the walkers hot chocolate with Bailey's. Imagine. They were a big hit with our team. There is nothing like a little hot chocolate with Bailey's to wash down the fresh desserts and breads you just had a couple blocks before! I think our "newbie" Mike summed it up best..."I can't believe that I would of walked 60 kms this weekend and actually GAINED weight!" He was right. The people of Toronto are just so great. It really is "Toronto the Good".
So we arrive at lunch and our peeps have staked out a spot for us, bought plastic bags for us so no one has to sit on the wet ground, have my little throne (a small lawn chair) waiting for me. They have offered to pick up Mr. Sub for us again, they picked some up for us yesterday and have some coffees waiting for us. The peeps love the new route because it is easier for them to follow us and see us more often during the walk. So we get the chance to spend some time together as a team, fix our blisters and just chat about the day. It was a nice break. But, we still got some work to do and we have to "git'er done". So as pack up and get ready to walk again, the DJ that is in the park at lunch for our entertainment puts on some good dance music. So as we are packing we are all dancing a little bit. Heads tilting to the rhythm slightly, a hip being thrown out there a little bit, a slight twist action going on till eventually we form a circle and are doing a little white girl dancing and clapping to the beat. So for fun, I jump into the middle of this circle and start to dance. You know that dance...like you do at weddings...that one. I jump back out of the circle clearly thinking that someone else would jump in. That is the routine right. Well, no one does. So I think to myself...OK maybe they are not getting this so I will try this again...back in I jump. Again, do my duty and jump back out while encouraging my team mates to jump in. Well...if you ever want to make Type A personalities shy...while sober....try to get them to dance. I am now shocked. Come on. OK, well we obviously have to get this party going because clearly they are a little tired and out of energy...so back in I jump. Now I am dancing like no one is watching. Problem is....a couple of hundred now are. So you know when you know you have to make a split second decision of commitment and pray it is the right one. I have that moment. That moment where you have to say "Go big or Go home". Well, sometimes I wish that switch would go on in my head that said "Go home" but no...instead I "Go Big". Big mistake. Now I am no longer just dancing like I have had a couple too many at a wedding... I have somehow now added a bad version of a strip tease to the dance. Yes folks...me...dancing a strip tease. I am fully aware of what I am doing but.....I am committed. I am going BIG. So, off comes the jacket and I am now waving it over my head and throw it to one of my team mates. Next, the shirt comes off. Don't worry...I have two on. While I am doing this though I am just hoping the bottom shirt stays on too. Again, I am committed so I have to continue. Luckily for all involved...it does. So now I am waving my shirt over my head like a rodeo star and fling that to one of my teammates. Now the shorts. I begin to pretend I am going to take them off but that's where it ends. In between the layers of clothing coming off I have now turned one of my walking poles into a dance pole. So there it is...me in a park with a couple of hundred people watching this act, surrounded by my friends, dancing like no one is watching. Yet I am feel each and every eye staring at me. You know what though...I really didn't care. The laughter that I saw on my friends faces and the people in the park made it all worthwhile. I don't even remember the song I was dancing too...I just remember the smiles and hearing the laughter. It will stay with me for a long time.
So after this little exhibition we seemed to have more energy and we only had 13 kms left to walk. I am not sure where lunch was but we were not far from Yonge and Davisville and the route would take us right along Davisville. I wish I knew this earlier because I have a cousin who lives on Davisville and she is a very special person in my life. Her name is Leslie and she has been one of the best teachers I have ever had. Leslie had taught me about treating everyone fairly, always look on the bright side of things no matter what life throws at you. I drew a lot of strength from her while I was going through my treatments. She does two crosswords everyday, reads constantly, knows more about movies and tv shows than Roger Ebert and plays seven sports and has gone to the Provincial games once for swimming and has just been told she will be going again in 2008 for swimming. Leslie does public speaking about her involvement in Special Olympics and is on a government committee for Special Olympics. I know that her comments are valued on this committee because Leslie is a two time Provincial Special Olympic athlete. She has more medals and trophies than all other Woodyatt's put together. She plays floor hockey (a family tradition she says) baseball, soccer, bowling, swimming, skiing, had done shot put and wants to try snowshoeing if they have it this winter. I thought about her quite a bit during the summer and knew how determined she was in her sports and in life. I took her as an example when I needed that extra energy to get me through the next 500 yards or 5kms. If Leslie can do what she does every day with such a great outlook and such determination I can do these walks. She is a very special person. So as I look to her building and search the area....there she is standing out in front of her apartment....waiting for us with a big smile on her face and her red "BELIEVE" shirt on that I gave to her last year. I was so happy to see her I broke out into a run. It was so important to me to see her. She does not realize how in her own quiet way she is such a source of strength to me. I wanted to share this with her. So I ran and gave her a great big hug and she was giggling. She was so proud of herself standing there in her shirt and she wanted to make sure I knew she had it on. It was definitely a highlight for me.
Now from lunch to seeing Leslie the day has just been great. The day is still overcast but that is OK because we are now heading south towards the lake. Again, we love the route and it takes us through a new part of the town. I have not been to this part of the town but I certainly loved it. The route took us right to the SteamWhistle Brewery! Wow! We all thought it won't be open...but it was...we thought we would not be able to get a beer....but we could....we thought we would have to pay for it....but we didn't!!! SteamWhistle had open up their brewery and was handing out free beer to all the walkers. It was great. Most of us stopped and enjoyed a glass of hops. It was great advertising for them but at the same time very generous of them too. It tasted good too!
We head out of the brewery and are now walking along west along the Lakeshore. We are close, very close to the end. My thoughts are now racing and I am trying to concentrate on what my friends are saying but it is hard. I am thinking of my Mom. I am thinking of my Dad. I am thinking of Joanne. I am looking at my friends. I am thinking of all of the people who donated and have supported me. I think of our great country Canada and how proud I am to say "I am Canadian". I am trying to keep all of my emotions in check. I am laughing and crying inside all at the same time. We are now walking along the park just outside of the Princess gates and my friend Tanis asks me a question...as I turn to answer her...this rollerblader going about 75 mph is coming down the path at me and almost hits me. Almost takes me out. It was exactly what I needed though because after I recover I start laughing. That would be just my luck...walk in six cities....I am now literally less than one km from the EX...I have walked 459 kms and I almost get taken out by a rollerblader with less that a 1km to go. It takes my mind off of my thoughts for a minute and we have a good laugh over it.
Now I can't avoid it. I have to deal with my emotions and thoughts. I still feel great. I feel like I could walk 60 kms on Sunday. I swear my feet did not actually hit the ground all weekend. As we walk through the gates the clapping starts, the high fives from strangers and volunteers start and then you see the people lined up cheering you in. I am home. I am home. I did it. Pat did it. We did it. My friends are hugging us and giving us such support. We are walking along the sidewalk of the Energy Building, arms around each other. In our red shirts with BELIEVE across the front. People are cheering and standing saying "Thanks for walking" "Way to go" "You did it" "We Believe"...It is such an incredible feeling. The noise of the cheering is getting louder and louder as we are nearing the entrance to the building. I hear my name called from the crowd and I look over to see Joanne's sister standing there cheering us in. She has a t-shirt on that has Joanne's picture on it. I run over and give her a hug. Seeing her, seeing Joanne's picture brings it all home. I think of this time last year when we all knew that Joanne was not doing well. At the closing ceremonies I picked up an extra pink shirt for Joanne and I went to the hospital the next day to give it to her but I was too late...she had just passed away but I gave the shirt to the nurse and left. I knew that when I got to the hospital that it was too late. You could actually feel the sadness even though I was not told of her passing until the next day. Joanne's husband Mike, later told me the shirt was with her. I thought of that each time I picked up my pink shirt this year.
We now turn the corner and the crowd is big and the noise goes up even higher. I am now holding on to my friends. Again, I hear my name and I am so happy...there is Mike and Kay (Joanne's Mom) hugs and some tears again. They are such a terrific family. I wish I had more time to spend with them but it is pretty chaotic now. So we take 10 more steps and there is a sea of red "BELIEVE" shirts to my left. There is another group of friends there cheering us on and their kids are with them. I am done. There standing there with shy smiles are Zach 8, Stephen, 7, Alexis, 5 and Aylesse, 4 all standing there with their red shirts on that say "BELIEVE". I was toast. I was walking for them. You see those little faces and you just want to protect them always. I know you can't but wouldn't it be great to know that maybe one weekend in September maybe changed their life in a better way. One weekend. Change a life of a child. BELIEVE. If I wasn't crying now a head snapping sob was not that far away. So after playing with kids there to my right are the peeps. Standing there waiting patiently for us to get through. The first one I see is Patti, another long time peep who peeped for us in Ottawa, Montreal (police station Patti) and Toronto, and I gave her a hug. A hug of exhilaration, exhaustion, emotion, thanks and a little bit of a collapse of relief. We still have 50 yards left and I am trying to regain some composure and a little bit of dignity but it is tough. My head is up because I don't want to miss a thing but the chin is quivering and I think my lip my be bleeding a bit. I now have a magnum of cold champagne in my hand...Pat arranged this....and we are walking in the building and the cheering is still loud. We get to the end and we are done. We did it. Life does go on though and our team makes a bee line for the bathrooms. Well, we can't wait for them so Pat and I pop the champagne and have a toast to our success and one by one the team comes out from the bathroom. Champagne all around. So there we are in a circle again, magnum of champagne with big grins on our faces and lots of loud laughter. I wish I could of bottled it. I couldn't but I did the next best thing...I kept the empty bottle. We did not drink all of the champagne though we wanted to share it with our peeps and our friends waiting for us outside. So out we went and we had another toast and I told them all that I loved them. I meant it. See what this does, it gives you the opportunity to be able to tell people who are important to you...they are important to you. It's special and it feels good. I am going to do it more often and maybe... just maybe... I may dance a little while I am doing it.
Well, I am not ready to sign off yet. I will still be doing two more entries that I hope to have on by this weekend. I am going to miss this blog because it has been so much fun. More fun than I ever expected. I hope that all of you have enjoyed it as much as I have writing it. To all of you, I can only hope you know how much your support has meant to me. I wish that I could thank all of you personally and I hope that over time I can. You overwhelm me and amaze me all at once. On December 3, 2002 I was told that I had breast cancer but those words have brought so much more into my life than they ever took away.
To my mom....your courage is my courage. Thank you. To Joanne....you inspired me to try and make a difference. Thank you.
Leave your mark. WE ALL DID.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Saturday in Toronto
Hello everyone,
Well, it is with a bitter sweet feeling we arrive at the Ex. I am very excited to be walking in Toronto with all of my friends, the energy and it is our homecoming but in another sense I don't want it to end. It has just been such an incredible experience that I will miss having that Canadian adventure each weekend. I look around though and see an AMAZING 5,521 WALKERS and together we have raised an astonishing 17.3 MILLION DOLLARS for Princess Margaret. I know that ending this great adventure in my home of Toronto, with my friends is the only way to end it. I would have it no other way.
We see Karen and Joseph and she has tears in her eyes. They are overwhelmed by what the team decided to do. Joseph however is overwhelmed too, but that is more because he is almost green with the stomach flu. He is not looking well at all and has to go and lie down while the opening ceremonies start. We all wish them well but I didn't think he was going to be able to complete the 35 kms we had to do today.
Once again, we have positioned ourselves perfectly for the start. As the opening ceremonies end and the walk begins I think of Joanne and I have a lump in my throat the size of a beach ball. I know how much she loved this walk and believed in it. I know how much her family misses her because at this moment I am missing my Mom too. So I try to concentrate on the new route which has us going along the boardwalk first. The organizers have basically reversed the route for us and we are only one km into it and already the team loves it. There is so much more room to spread out and a walk along the beach on a beautiful bright Saturday morning is good for the soul. I let the laughter and chatter of my friends wash over me and I know that Joanne and my Mom will be with me this weekend. Just like they have been and I will lean on them when I have to. So our strategy has now evolved from where we should stand at the start to how to manage bathroom breaks too. Since I am the "camel" of the group this is not a problem for me, however, being the camel can also mean you become the "pack mule" for the rest of them. As they go off bounding towards those little green prisons they call port-o-potties I offer to carry their fanny packs for them and I will keep on walking and they will catch up. Well, it seemed like a good plan until I realized at one point I had six fanny packs to hold and each one of them had one or two full water bottles. I was beginning to question the wisdom of the offer. So as I walked by myself for a while, receiving a couple of strange looks as to why this women is walking by herself with seven fanny packs that she can not possible manage for 35 kms and water bottles are falling out all over the place, my friends catch up with me while laughing at me at the same time. I will definitely re-think this before the next stop 2kms away.
This year we have three "newbies" on the team. Patti, Wanda and Mike. Now I think in the past I may have mentioned that the people who make up this team are all type "A" personalities...some are double "A" and some are triple "A"...lucky for me I am not a type "A" personality so I am able to get along with all of them. Now Patti, has a very slight advantage over Wanda and Mike because she has lived with a Triple A personality all of her life...her sister Debbie who has been on the team from the very start. Now some of us have known Patti before the walk but for the most part she is a "newbie" but a well informed one. Wanda however did not have that advantage. She knew of only one person on the team before this weekend and I am sure that she had moments on the weekend where she thought "what the heck of I gotten myself into here?"...these people are a boisterous, laughing, strong willed group of people. I can get through this...it is only 48 hours. I can do this." That leaves us with Mike. Perhaps the bravest man on the face of this earth. Certainly the bravest man in the province of Ontario. Mike is a friendly chap with a gentle soul who probably at a moment of weakness said to his colleagues at the office in the Kitchener/Waterloo area..."sure...walking 60 kms with 12 (oops I mean 11)type A personalities over a weekend sounds like a grand idea. What...all these personalities are women? Afraid? Why should I be afraid?" Well Mike, now you know. You should of ran fast in the other direction but I think if the truth be told you are too much of a gentleman to back out. If the truth be told I know we all loved having you on the team...well maybe for the exception of Tanis...but she is just like that and you get used to it! So to all the "newbies" thanks for joining our team and I hope you enjoyed yourselves. As for Tanis...we will work with her throughout the year and see if we can improve things. Keep your fingers crossed!
This is the fifth year the walk has been in Toronto so it is well established in the city. With 5,500 walkers and approximately 1,200 volunteers just by the numbers the energy is higher but until you have walked in other cities you really see it. Now for you folks out west and in Montreal you are going to think...oh here they go again...centre of the universe...but all kidding aside...the energy of the Toronto walk is absolutely phenomenal. From the horns honking all the time and waving to the cars and supporters, to people feeding you, providing water, beer and baileys (I will explain more later). You are so used to waving at honking horns that on Monday morning while driving to work and cutting people off the way I usually do, they did not appreciate me waving to them the same way they did just a short 24 hours ago.
It was very hot on Saturday and the temperature was around 80 degrees with a high humid ex. Somewhere along the walk (probably a bathroom break) I got separated from the "pod". So I was able to catch up and walk for a while with three women and one of them happened to Audrey Loeb. Audrey is a little dynamo of a lady who is credited with the person being the one who brought the "Weekend to End Breast Cancer" to Toronto and Princess Margaret. Audrey lost her sister-in-law to this disease and did this walk down in the States. She had a dream of bringing this up to Toronto and one day seeing 5,000 people walking for a common cause. To End Breast Cancer. It only took Audrey four years to see her dream become a reality and she is one of the walkers that is on the statue in front of Princess Margaret. A fitting tribute to someone that will forever leave a mark in the fight against breast cancer. It was an honour to be able to walk with her for a short period of time on Saturday.
So early I mentioned beer and Bailey's. Just wanted to make sure you didn't drift. The media does a horrible job of reporting what is great about this city and does an excellent job of reporting everything that is bad. I must admit that throughout the walks the media coverage has varied. I would say Calgary had the best coverage it was all over the news but I really question the news media in Toronto. How is it that 5,521 walkers raise 17.3 million dollars because of their donors and this barely gets 30 second of soundbite that masks itself as news coverage. Yet, a shooting gets five minutes. I think most people would rather hear it the other way around. Here is what the news media is missing. Little girls in pink pj's standing on their sidewalks in front of their homes handing out lollipops, apple juice, water, lemonade, Popsicles and the list goes on and on. Do you think it is an accident that they are wearing pink. Their parents aren't standing behind them forcing them to do this. Not one, not in any city I have been to. They are not standing there crying, asking to come in. Not one. The little hands that are lined up along the cheering sections just waiting to give you a "high five". All doing it because they want to. Not one little kid sitting behind a sign crying because they are bored and the sign reads...My mom is my hero...My aunt walks to save lives...Go Dad Go...I am sure that the chalk drawings you see on the sidewalks and driveways encouraging us on are done because they want to...not because they had to. Why do little kids know what the pink ribbon represents? What makes a ten year old little girl named Taylor and her little four year sister named Kennedy want to grow their hair so they can donate it when it gets long enough. Each and everyone one of these little people are doing what they can to be part of this united spirit that wants to beat this disease. These things that these kids do are so much of the reason why we as adults are trying to find a cure. We want to protect them and all of their family from cancer. Now, what would you rather see on the news, kids contributing anyway they can to a cause or yet another story about kids with guns.
So as we are approaching the 30 km part of our walk, we are nearing what we all agree to be the best part of any of the walks...the village of Weston. In previous years we would walk through this part of the city early on Sunday morning. While it is always good to walk here, having it on Saturday at km 30 is in the words of Wayne from Wayne's World "most excellent". It is exactly what we need at this time of the day. This little spot in the world is full of energy, enthusiasm, caring and generous people. How ever I describe them it will not be enough however I will try. Picture a tree lined street with terrific old maples and oak trees and nice homes that were probably built around 1930. These homes all have kids and you can tell and soon as you enter the area...it is a neighbourhood. People actually speak with each other and are interested and care about the lives of the people who make their home beside them. It a group of homes as opposed to being a bunch of houses on the street. The music is loud and danceable, the kids are out having fun, the adults are talking to the walkers, there are posters on all the old trees saying "Go Walkers Go", "You guys rock", "Thanks for walking" and the list goes on. One of the homes is being renovated on the outside and is a beautiful three story brick that has scaffolding out in front of it. The owners have arranged to have a huge banner put across the top of their roof line..."Go Walkers Go" and on their driveway is a 10 foot pink ribbon that is taped down. Imagine that. There had to be a lot of planning that went on to get that banner up there. The people in this great neighbourhood hope (and I honestly mean expect/hope) to serve beer to all the walkers as they come by. Now it is not a full beer but a Dixie cup of beer. This walk has always gone down their street, in fact they call the company that organizes each year to ENSURE the walk goes by their houses. So these people know exactly how many walkers there are and it is their hope that they will be able to give anyone who asks a little bit of beer. Picture this. You and your neighbours get together and hope to give 5500 walkers some beer. I don't know whether they succeeded or not because it was hot on Saturday, but it was awfully neighbourly of them to try. Just special people. Also on one of the trees was another sign...a sign with a list of names. These were the names of people that had lost their battle or who had survived and they were loved by someone on this street. This street, this neighbourhood in a city of 5 million had approximately 20 names on it. 20 people who loved or are missed and the people of this neighbourhood wanted to show the walkers just some of the people they were walking for. That sign will stay with a lot of us for a long time. One of the great people Pat and I were able to meet was Suzanne...Suzanne did all the walks last year too. She wasn't walking this year because she wanted to be home in her neighbourhood and hand out beer to the walkers. Cheers Suzanne and I salute you and your neighbourhood. You live in a special spot in this city and it is an example of the best this city and its people have to offer. I can't wait to see you all again next year.
After leaving Weston, which is very hard because you could stay there all day, we headed to Downsview fully energized and felt absolutely fantastic. The last 5 kms flew by and at the end of the day who was waiting for us...our peeps. Huge grins on their faces, Mizey's amazing whistle and open arms waiting for us. Now it would be good of me to mention here that those open arms were also holding opened beers for us too. I can't begin to tell you how good I felt. I was on such a high from the day I just did not want it to end. So as we sat around and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine at the park and I thought the day could not get any better... it did. Tina. Tina is Joanne's sister-in-law and was walking this year. She was looking for us and saw those great red and white shirts with "BELIEVE" on the front and knew Pat and I would be around there. It was so great to see her. Big hugs. A few tears and a connection that I will have with her and her family for the rest of my life. My commitment to Joanne and her family was that I would try to do something that would honour their example of what love, strength and hope represent. There are many families like Joanne, Mike, Dylan, Dean, Darcy and their "friamilies" that exist in Canada and just by being who they are, inspires you to do something different. Maybe this is my attempt to serve 5,500 hundred cups of beer. The first one I served was to Tina and all I know is that beer we drank while caught up on her family (and I talked to her Mom on the cell) tasted great.
So as we packed up and headed back to our hotel a huge roar came up by the Downsview Airport. As we looked up in the sky this fighter aircraft came roaring over the hanger and went straight up did a roll and took off. Shortly after that another roar....another aircraft. Now remember, this is the weekend after Labour Day and the Ex always has the Airshow so I voiced my opinion that those were the "Snowbirds". Seemed reasonable. Well, one of the newbies (Wanda)thought that I may be wrong...and with a turn of the head and a look that puts fear into the bravest of wholesalers in the insurance business I said "pardon"...Wanda said "that she thought the Snowbirds had white plans and these were grey and actually they looked a lot more like a F-14 or F-15". I am looking around trying to remember who is the one that invited this newbie on the walk I told her of the saying my mother use to say..."I thought I was wrong once but I was mistaken." Wanda then goes on to explain to me in the most apologetic voice that she lived on a air force base with her husband and recognized the planes from those days. Ok...well...you maybe more right than I am. So we watched three more leave and the noise and speed of the air crafts was incredible. One of them could actually make the tail of the plane dip and slide in the same move. I still think it was the Snowbird pilots, after all, they can't always be flying those jets.
To my Mom and Joanne who continue to be my courage and inspiration.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Well, it is with a bitter sweet feeling we arrive at the Ex. I am very excited to be walking in Toronto with all of my friends, the energy and it is our homecoming but in another sense I don't want it to end. It has just been such an incredible experience that I will miss having that Canadian adventure each weekend. I look around though and see an AMAZING 5,521 WALKERS and together we have raised an astonishing 17.3 MILLION DOLLARS for Princess Margaret. I know that ending this great adventure in my home of Toronto, with my friends is the only way to end it. I would have it no other way.
We see Karen and Joseph and she has tears in her eyes. They are overwhelmed by what the team decided to do. Joseph however is overwhelmed too, but that is more because he is almost green with the stomach flu. He is not looking well at all and has to go and lie down while the opening ceremonies start. We all wish them well but I didn't think he was going to be able to complete the 35 kms we had to do today.
Once again, we have positioned ourselves perfectly for the start. As the opening ceremonies end and the walk begins I think of Joanne and I have a lump in my throat the size of a beach ball. I know how much she loved this walk and believed in it. I know how much her family misses her because at this moment I am missing my Mom too. So I try to concentrate on the new route which has us going along the boardwalk first. The organizers have basically reversed the route for us and we are only one km into it and already the team loves it. There is so much more room to spread out and a walk along the beach on a beautiful bright Saturday morning is good for the soul. I let the laughter and chatter of my friends wash over me and I know that Joanne and my Mom will be with me this weekend. Just like they have been and I will lean on them when I have to. So our strategy has now evolved from where we should stand at the start to how to manage bathroom breaks too. Since I am the "camel" of the group this is not a problem for me, however, being the camel can also mean you become the "pack mule" for the rest of them. As they go off bounding towards those little green prisons they call port-o-potties I offer to carry their fanny packs for them and I will keep on walking and they will catch up. Well, it seemed like a good plan until I realized at one point I had six fanny packs to hold and each one of them had one or two full water bottles. I was beginning to question the wisdom of the offer. So as I walked by myself for a while, receiving a couple of strange looks as to why this women is walking by herself with seven fanny packs that she can not possible manage for 35 kms and water bottles are falling out all over the place, my friends catch up with me while laughing at me at the same time. I will definitely re-think this before the next stop 2kms away.
This year we have three "newbies" on the team. Patti, Wanda and Mike. Now I think in the past I may have mentioned that the people who make up this team are all type "A" personalities...some are double "A" and some are triple "A"...lucky for me I am not a type "A" personality so I am able to get along with all of them. Now Patti, has a very slight advantage over Wanda and Mike because she has lived with a Triple A personality all of her life...her sister Debbie who has been on the team from the very start. Now some of us have known Patti before the walk but for the most part she is a "newbie" but a well informed one. Wanda however did not have that advantage. She knew of only one person on the team before this weekend and I am sure that she had moments on the weekend where she thought "what the heck of I gotten myself into here?"...these people are a boisterous, laughing, strong willed group of people. I can get through this...it is only 48 hours. I can do this." That leaves us with Mike. Perhaps the bravest man on the face of this earth. Certainly the bravest man in the province of Ontario. Mike is a friendly chap with a gentle soul who probably at a moment of weakness said to his colleagues at the office in the Kitchener/Waterloo area..."sure...walking 60 kms with 12 (oops I mean 11)type A personalities over a weekend sounds like a grand idea. What...all these personalities are women? Afraid? Why should I be afraid?" Well Mike, now you know. You should of ran fast in the other direction but I think if the truth be told you are too much of a gentleman to back out. If the truth be told I know we all loved having you on the team...well maybe for the exception of Tanis...but she is just like that and you get used to it! So to all the "newbies" thanks for joining our team and I hope you enjoyed yourselves. As for Tanis...we will work with her throughout the year and see if we can improve things. Keep your fingers crossed!
This is the fifth year the walk has been in Toronto so it is well established in the city. With 5,500 walkers and approximately 1,200 volunteers just by the numbers the energy is higher but until you have walked in other cities you really see it. Now for you folks out west and in Montreal you are going to think...oh here they go again...centre of the universe...but all kidding aside...the energy of the Toronto walk is absolutely phenomenal. From the horns honking all the time and waving to the cars and supporters, to people feeding you, providing water, beer and baileys (I will explain more later). You are so used to waving at honking horns that on Monday morning while driving to work and cutting people off the way I usually do, they did not appreciate me waving to them the same way they did just a short 24 hours ago.
It was very hot on Saturday and the temperature was around 80 degrees with a high humid ex. Somewhere along the walk (probably a bathroom break) I got separated from the "pod". So I was able to catch up and walk for a while with three women and one of them happened to Audrey Loeb. Audrey is a little dynamo of a lady who is credited with the person being the one who brought the "Weekend to End Breast Cancer" to Toronto and Princess Margaret. Audrey lost her sister-in-law to this disease and did this walk down in the States. She had a dream of bringing this up to Toronto and one day seeing 5,000 people walking for a common cause. To End Breast Cancer. It only took Audrey four years to see her dream become a reality and she is one of the walkers that is on the statue in front of Princess Margaret. A fitting tribute to someone that will forever leave a mark in the fight against breast cancer. It was an honour to be able to walk with her for a short period of time on Saturday.
So early I mentioned beer and Bailey's. Just wanted to make sure you didn't drift. The media does a horrible job of reporting what is great about this city and does an excellent job of reporting everything that is bad. I must admit that throughout the walks the media coverage has varied. I would say Calgary had the best coverage it was all over the news but I really question the news media in Toronto. How is it that 5,521 walkers raise 17.3 million dollars because of their donors and this barely gets 30 second of soundbite that masks itself as news coverage. Yet, a shooting gets five minutes. I think most people would rather hear it the other way around. Here is what the news media is missing. Little girls in pink pj's standing on their sidewalks in front of their homes handing out lollipops, apple juice, water, lemonade, Popsicles and the list goes on and on. Do you think it is an accident that they are wearing pink. Their parents aren't standing behind them forcing them to do this. Not one, not in any city I have been to. They are not standing there crying, asking to come in. Not one. The little hands that are lined up along the cheering sections just waiting to give you a "high five". All doing it because they want to. Not one little kid sitting behind a sign crying because they are bored and the sign reads...My mom is my hero...My aunt walks to save lives...Go Dad Go...I am sure that the chalk drawings you see on the sidewalks and driveways encouraging us on are done because they want to...not because they had to. Why do little kids know what the pink ribbon represents? What makes a ten year old little girl named Taylor and her little four year sister named Kennedy want to grow their hair so they can donate it when it gets long enough. Each and everyone one of these little people are doing what they can to be part of this united spirit that wants to beat this disease. These things that these kids do are so much of the reason why we as adults are trying to find a cure. We want to protect them and all of their family from cancer. Now, what would you rather see on the news, kids contributing anyway they can to a cause or yet another story about kids with guns.
So as we are approaching the 30 km part of our walk, we are nearing what we all agree to be the best part of any of the walks...the village of Weston. In previous years we would walk through this part of the city early on Sunday morning. While it is always good to walk here, having it on Saturday at km 30 is in the words of Wayne from Wayne's World "most excellent". It is exactly what we need at this time of the day. This little spot in the world is full of energy, enthusiasm, caring and generous people. How ever I describe them it will not be enough however I will try. Picture a tree lined street with terrific old maples and oak trees and nice homes that were probably built around 1930. These homes all have kids and you can tell and soon as you enter the area...it is a neighbourhood. People actually speak with each other and are interested and care about the lives of the people who make their home beside them. It a group of homes as opposed to being a bunch of houses on the street. The music is loud and danceable, the kids are out having fun, the adults are talking to the walkers, there are posters on all the old trees saying "Go Walkers Go", "You guys rock", "Thanks for walking" and the list goes on. One of the homes is being renovated on the outside and is a beautiful three story brick that has scaffolding out in front of it. The owners have arranged to have a huge banner put across the top of their roof line..."Go Walkers Go" and on their driveway is a 10 foot pink ribbon that is taped down. Imagine that. There had to be a lot of planning that went on to get that banner up there. The people in this great neighbourhood hope (and I honestly mean expect/hope) to serve beer to all the walkers as they come by. Now it is not a full beer but a Dixie cup of beer. This walk has always gone down their street, in fact they call the company that organizes each year to ENSURE the walk goes by their houses. So these people know exactly how many walkers there are and it is their hope that they will be able to give anyone who asks a little bit of beer. Picture this. You and your neighbours get together and hope to give 5500 walkers some beer. I don't know whether they succeeded or not because it was hot on Saturday, but it was awfully neighbourly of them to try. Just special people. Also on one of the trees was another sign...a sign with a list of names. These were the names of people that had lost their battle or who had survived and they were loved by someone on this street. This street, this neighbourhood in a city of 5 million had approximately 20 names on it. 20 people who loved or are missed and the people of this neighbourhood wanted to show the walkers just some of the people they were walking for. That sign will stay with a lot of us for a long time. One of the great people Pat and I were able to meet was Suzanne...Suzanne did all the walks last year too. She wasn't walking this year because she wanted to be home in her neighbourhood and hand out beer to the walkers. Cheers Suzanne and I salute you and your neighbourhood. You live in a special spot in this city and it is an example of the best this city and its people have to offer. I can't wait to see you all again next year.
After leaving Weston, which is very hard because you could stay there all day, we headed to Downsview fully energized and felt absolutely fantastic. The last 5 kms flew by and at the end of the day who was waiting for us...our peeps. Huge grins on their faces, Mizey's amazing whistle and open arms waiting for us. Now it would be good of me to mention here that those open arms were also holding opened beers for us too. I can't begin to tell you how good I felt. I was on such a high from the day I just did not want it to end. So as we sat around and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine at the park and I thought the day could not get any better... it did. Tina. Tina is Joanne's sister-in-law and was walking this year. She was looking for us and saw those great red and white shirts with "BELIEVE" on the front and knew Pat and I would be around there. It was so great to see her. Big hugs. A few tears and a connection that I will have with her and her family for the rest of my life. My commitment to Joanne and her family was that I would try to do something that would honour their example of what love, strength and hope represent. There are many families like Joanne, Mike, Dylan, Dean, Darcy and their "friamilies" that exist in Canada and just by being who they are, inspires you to do something different. Maybe this is my attempt to serve 5,500 hundred cups of beer. The first one I served was to Tina and all I know is that beer we drank while caught up on her family (and I talked to her Mom on the cell) tasted great.
So as we packed up and headed back to our hotel a huge roar came up by the Downsview Airport. As we looked up in the sky this fighter aircraft came roaring over the hanger and went straight up did a roll and took off. Shortly after that another roar....another aircraft. Now remember, this is the weekend after Labour Day and the Ex always has the Airshow so I voiced my opinion that those were the "Snowbirds". Seemed reasonable. Well, one of the newbies (Wanda)thought that I may be wrong...and with a turn of the head and a look that puts fear into the bravest of wholesalers in the insurance business I said "pardon"...Wanda said "that she thought the Snowbirds had white plans and these were grey and actually they looked a lot more like a F-14 or F-15". I am looking around trying to remember who is the one that invited this newbie on the walk I told her of the saying my mother use to say..."I thought I was wrong once but I was mistaken." Wanda then goes on to explain to me in the most apologetic voice that she lived on a air force base with her husband and recognized the planes from those days. Ok...well...you maybe more right than I am. So we watched three more leave and the noise and speed of the air crafts was incredible. One of them could actually make the tail of the plane dip and slide in the same move. I still think it was the Snowbird pilots, after all, they can't always be flying those jets.
To my Mom and Joanne who continue to be my courage and inspiration.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Friday in Toronto
Hello everyone,
I am so excited. Last walk and it is in Toronto and I will be surrounded by my incredible group of friends. Here is an idea of how great these people are. Every year we hold a golf tournament in May to raise money for the walk. The money raised is put into a pot and who ever is short we use this money to top them up to the $2,000 mark. Well, last year when we decided to do this (7 walks for Pat and I) my teammates agreed that any money we had left over from the golf tournament (from 2006) would be carried over to 2007 in case Pat and I needed it. Well, thanks to your incredible generousity we did not need to dip into it very much. So, once we made sure that everyone on our team had enough money for the $2,000 an e-mail went out all of the Centurians about donating $1,000 of this money to Karen and Joseph. If you remember, they are the couple from Cambridge who were doing the walks in all seven cities also but were having some problems raising the money. Within an hour and I do mean an hour the team vote was...a unamious YES. Let's do what we can to help get them to that level. It did not surprise me...but it still made me feel really good about the people I was about to share my weekend with. Even with our donation Karen and Joseph were still short...but through the spirit of the event another person came up with the difference and Karen and Joseph reached their goal. When we saw them on Saturday morning the expression on their faces said it all. I was able to share with Karen and Joseph what I receive from these people everyday. It felt real good.
Registration opens at 3 and we leave for downtown at 2. By now we are spoiled at how quickly we can register at each of the events but the sheer numbers of walkers and volunteers in Toronto brings it all back to us. It took us 45 minutes just to get into the parking garage at the CNE. Usually I would be so fraustrated with the traffic...that day was different. This crowd of people were all doing the same thing...raising money for breast cancer. As we enter the Energy Centre it is shortly after 3 and already the line up for the safety video is snaked back and forth across the hall. We have no choice but to enter the line up. As we cross the floor one way, back the other and back again, there is a reception line waiting for us. In this line is Paul Alofs, CEO of the PMHF, Christine Lasky VP of Communications PMHF, Dr. Tak Mak,a world renowned breast cancer scientist who works at Princess Margaret, Dr. Ben Neele and two other Dr.'s (I am sorry I can not think of their names) and they are shaking the hands of each and every walker and volunteer in line and thanking them for this weekend. It really gave a "face" to who the people of the Princess Margaret Foundation are. It was a very nice touch.
We all get registered and we arrange to meet at what has now become a tradition. Dinner at Canynon Creek on the Friday before the walk. As we take our seats many of the staff ask us "is it that time of year again for the walk?" They always treat us well there but even better...they remember why we are there.
I think all of us are well behaved this night and off we go to the Sheraton Centre for a restful night in our very comfortable beds. I usually had trouble getting to sleep on the Friday nights partly from excitement and partly from nerves. So as usual I fall asleep around midnight and sleep soundly to exactly 3:50 AM when the fire alarm goes off!! Now, I have stayed in many hotel rooms but I have never had the fire alarm go off before and we are on the 21st floor! So this reassuring female voice comes over the loud speaker..."we have detected a problem and the fire department has been called. We will advise you once we know more there is no need to evacuate". Will to me that is a bit of a contridiction if you are on a floor higher then were it has been "detected". Once again, she comes on in a smooth gentle voice..."we have detected a problem and the fire department has been called. We will advise you once we know more there is no need to evacuate"....This weekend traditionally always falls around Sept 11 and I am thinking this is what they told the people in the towers too. My roomie...Pat...has two pillows over her head and is trying desperately to get back to sleep. So I cautiously open the door (after feeling it first) and pop my head out the door like a prairie dog. Only to be met by a couple of other prairie dogs too that are my neighbours. Nobody says anything and we all just shrug however you can hear the footsteps and voices in the stair wells as people are heading down the stairs. But alas, the voice comes over the intercom...and I am expecting her to soothly say..."everything is fine...go back to sleep now" instead what we get is..."the fire department is on the premise and we will advise you more but there is no need to evecaute"....easy for her to say she is standing in the lobby surrounded by firemen!! Again, she comes on and this goes on for about ten minutes. Well, by now I know for sure, that if I start to go down the stairs with my luck, just as my foot touches the last step after 21 flights of stairs the alarm will stop. So, I prairie dog again outside the room but this time I am met by fewer dogs which does not help me at all. Pat now has three pillows over her head. So as I pace the room, my heart racing trying to decide if I should "waste" precious movement by taking the stairs the soothing voice comes over the intercom again..."the problem has been detected and contained. We will be turning off the alarm now." Detected and CONTAINED? What the heck does that mean?? There was a small fire but we assessed it ourselves and we decided there was no need to evacuate? So, as my heart started to return to a normal rate and these questions that I kept asking myself slowly left my head...I slept like a baby from 4:45 till 5 when the alarm went off!! This time though it was not the fire alarm.
As we met in the lobby, our peeps had already been to Tim Horton's for us, we talked about what we all did about the alarm since we were all on different floors. Some of us kept hitting the clock radio thinking it was the alarm, some of us actually did leave the building and took the stairs all the way down, some prairie dogged it and some did just take the pillow and rolled over and figured if it was important they would let us know. Either way it gave us something to chat about on our way to the Ex. I knew it would be an exciting weekend.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
I am so excited. Last walk and it is in Toronto and I will be surrounded by my incredible group of friends. Here is an idea of how great these people are. Every year we hold a golf tournament in May to raise money for the walk. The money raised is put into a pot and who ever is short we use this money to top them up to the $2,000 mark. Well, last year when we decided to do this (7 walks for Pat and I) my teammates agreed that any money we had left over from the golf tournament (from 2006) would be carried over to 2007 in case Pat and I needed it. Well, thanks to your incredible generousity we did not need to dip into it very much. So, once we made sure that everyone on our team had enough money for the $2,000 an e-mail went out all of the Centurians about donating $1,000 of this money to Karen and Joseph. If you remember, they are the couple from Cambridge who were doing the walks in all seven cities also but were having some problems raising the money. Within an hour and I do mean an hour the team vote was...a unamious YES. Let's do what we can to help get them to that level. It did not surprise me...but it still made me feel really good about the people I was about to share my weekend with. Even with our donation Karen and Joseph were still short...but through the spirit of the event another person came up with the difference and Karen and Joseph reached their goal. When we saw them on Saturday morning the expression on their faces said it all. I was able to share with Karen and Joseph what I receive from these people everyday. It felt real good.
Registration opens at 3 and we leave for downtown at 2. By now we are spoiled at how quickly we can register at each of the events but the sheer numbers of walkers and volunteers in Toronto brings it all back to us. It took us 45 minutes just to get into the parking garage at the CNE. Usually I would be so fraustrated with the traffic...that day was different. This crowd of people were all doing the same thing...raising money for breast cancer. As we enter the Energy Centre it is shortly after 3 and already the line up for the safety video is snaked back and forth across the hall. We have no choice but to enter the line up. As we cross the floor one way, back the other and back again, there is a reception line waiting for us. In this line is Paul Alofs, CEO of the PMHF, Christine Lasky VP of Communications PMHF, Dr. Tak Mak,a world renowned breast cancer scientist who works at Princess Margaret, Dr. Ben Neele and two other Dr.'s (I am sorry I can not think of their names) and they are shaking the hands of each and every walker and volunteer in line and thanking them for this weekend. It really gave a "face" to who the people of the Princess Margaret Foundation are. It was a very nice touch.
We all get registered and we arrange to meet at what has now become a tradition. Dinner at Canynon Creek on the Friday before the walk. As we take our seats many of the staff ask us "is it that time of year again for the walk?" They always treat us well there but even better...they remember why we are there.
I think all of us are well behaved this night and off we go to the Sheraton Centre for a restful night in our very comfortable beds. I usually had trouble getting to sleep on the Friday nights partly from excitement and partly from nerves. So as usual I fall asleep around midnight and sleep soundly to exactly 3:50 AM when the fire alarm goes off!! Now, I have stayed in many hotel rooms but I have never had the fire alarm go off before and we are on the 21st floor! So this reassuring female voice comes over the loud speaker..."we have detected a problem and the fire department has been called. We will advise you once we know more there is no need to evacuate". Will to me that is a bit of a contridiction if you are on a floor higher then were it has been "detected". Once again, she comes on in a smooth gentle voice..."we have detected a problem and the fire department has been called. We will advise you once we know more there is no need to evacuate"....This weekend traditionally always falls around Sept 11 and I am thinking this is what they told the people in the towers too. My roomie...Pat...has two pillows over her head and is trying desperately to get back to sleep. So I cautiously open the door (after feeling it first) and pop my head out the door like a prairie dog. Only to be met by a couple of other prairie dogs too that are my neighbours. Nobody says anything and we all just shrug however you can hear the footsteps and voices in the stair wells as people are heading down the stairs. But alas, the voice comes over the intercom...and I am expecting her to soothly say..."everything is fine...go back to sleep now" instead what we get is..."the fire department is on the premise and we will advise you more but there is no need to evecaute"....easy for her to say she is standing in the lobby surrounded by firemen!! Again, she comes on and this goes on for about ten minutes. Well, by now I know for sure, that if I start to go down the stairs with my luck, just as my foot touches the last step after 21 flights of stairs the alarm will stop. So, I prairie dog again outside the room but this time I am met by fewer dogs which does not help me at all. Pat now has three pillows over her head. So as I pace the room, my heart racing trying to decide if I should "waste" precious movement by taking the stairs the soothing voice comes over the intercom again..."the problem has been detected and contained. We will be turning off the alarm now." Detected and CONTAINED? What the heck does that mean?? There was a small fire but we assessed it ourselves and we decided there was no need to evacuate? So, as my heart started to return to a normal rate and these questions that I kept asking myself slowly left my head...I slept like a baby from 4:45 till 5 when the alarm went off!! This time though it was not the fire alarm.
As we met in the lobby, our peeps had already been to Tim Horton's for us, we talked about what we all did about the alarm since we were all on different floors. Some of us kept hitting the clock radio thinking it was the alarm, some of us actually did leave the building and took the stairs all the way down, some prairie dogged it and some did just take the pillow and rolled over and figured if it was important they would let us know. Either way it gave us something to chat about on our way to the Ex. I knew it would be an exciting weekend.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
A short history of Toronto
Hello everyone,
ToRONTO if you are a visitor or TAronto if you are local. Either way, it is the centre of the universe in Canada. HA HA. Thought that would get you guys going outside of the Big Smoke! The capital of Ontario that has approximately 5 million die hard...and I do mean die hard...Leaf fans/sufferers. At least it gets us talking about something different than the weather though.
Over 11,000 years ago people miagrated south after the ice age to land on the north shores of Lake Ontario. The Indian tribes of the Huron, Petun and Iroquois tribes lived in the area but not always harmoniously. In 1608, a french explorer by the name of Etienne Brule, that was part of Samuel Champlain's expedition group, stood on the shore of Lake Ontario. Toronto was a series of trials and waterways the led from the west and north of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and it was called the "Toronto Passage" or "Toronto Carrying Place". It was populated by the Hurons and Petun tribes until they withdrew to the south shores of Georgian Bay due to the invasion and conflicts with the Iroquois and the disease the Europeans had brought with them. The Iroquois took over the north shore of Lake Ontario until the French defeated them and the land was then taken over by the Mississaugas.
A village then began to grow on the East bank of the Humber River near today what we would call the "Old Mill" area of Toronto. The Humber River was an important part of the Toronto Passage because it was an important short cut between Lake Ontario and the upper Great Lakes. This village was called "Teiaiagon" and it was the meeting place for the French from the East, Indians from the north and the English from the south. However, over the years battles develop for control of the land and the expanding fur trade. The 7 Years War in Europe between the English and French from 1756-1763 was a result of these conflicts in North America. In 1760 though, the British rule was finally complete and the French withdrew from the area.
In 1787, a British Commandar named Lord Dorchester negotiated the "Toronto Purchase" which gave 14 miles of land along the shores of Lake Ontario which today would represent Scarborough to Etobicoke and 30 miles inland. The "Toronto Purchase" represent 250,000 hectres of land and in return the Mississaugas received 1700 pounds sterling and some goods. In 1793 the town of "York" was named on then Upper Canada and the city of Toronto was formed in 1834. In 1793, the Lieutenant-Govenor, John Grave Simcoe established a post to protect the area from a potential American invasion. He moved the capital from the village of Niagara to Toronto and the town of York grew slowly. In 1814 the town had a population of 720 people and had been under attack and occupation from the Americans in the War of 1812 however...we won. The town grew rapidly after 1815 due to the expanding role it had in trade and transportation. In 1834, 9,250 people and less than 20 years later the population exploded to 30,775 people. This was the eve to the birth of our railroads. A rebellion in 1837-1838 severely divided the city and disease such as cholera and typhus struck the people and the economy from 1832-1848. In 1901 the population was 208,000 and when World War One was declared many from this area went off to Europe. By 1941, again with many from the area off in World War Two the population was then 667,500. After WW2 Toronto began to rivel Montreal as the cultural and commerce capital of Canada and the population of Toronto passed Montreal in 1976. By 2001 152 languages and dialects are spoken in Toronto with relative peace existance when you look at other cities in the world. It is truly one of the most multi-cultural cities you can find anywhere and to me...it is home.
ToRONTO if you are a visitor or TAronto if you are local. Either way, it is the centre of the universe in Canada. HA HA. Thought that would get you guys going outside of the Big Smoke! The capital of Ontario that has approximately 5 million die hard...and I do mean die hard...Leaf fans/sufferers. At least it gets us talking about something different than the weather though.
Over 11,000 years ago people miagrated south after the ice age to land on the north shores of Lake Ontario. The Indian tribes of the Huron, Petun and Iroquois tribes lived in the area but not always harmoniously. In 1608, a french explorer by the name of Etienne Brule, that was part of Samuel Champlain's expedition group, stood on the shore of Lake Ontario. Toronto was a series of trials and waterways the led from the west and north of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and it was called the "Toronto Passage" or "Toronto Carrying Place". It was populated by the Hurons and Petun tribes until they withdrew to the south shores of Georgian Bay due to the invasion and conflicts with the Iroquois and the disease the Europeans had brought with them. The Iroquois took over the north shore of Lake Ontario until the French defeated them and the land was then taken over by the Mississaugas.
A village then began to grow on the East bank of the Humber River near today what we would call the "Old Mill" area of Toronto. The Humber River was an important part of the Toronto Passage because it was an important short cut between Lake Ontario and the upper Great Lakes. This village was called "Teiaiagon" and it was the meeting place for the French from the East, Indians from the north and the English from the south. However, over the years battles develop for control of the land and the expanding fur trade. The 7 Years War in Europe between the English and French from 1756-1763 was a result of these conflicts in North America. In 1760 though, the British rule was finally complete and the French withdrew from the area.
In 1787, a British Commandar named Lord Dorchester negotiated the "Toronto Purchase" which gave 14 miles of land along the shores of Lake Ontario which today would represent Scarborough to Etobicoke and 30 miles inland. The "Toronto Purchase" represent 250,000 hectres of land and in return the Mississaugas received 1700 pounds sterling and some goods. In 1793 the town of "York" was named on then Upper Canada and the city of Toronto was formed in 1834. In 1793, the Lieutenant-Govenor, John Grave Simcoe established a post to protect the area from a potential American invasion. He moved the capital from the village of Niagara to Toronto and the town of York grew slowly. In 1814 the town had a population of 720 people and had been under attack and occupation from the Americans in the War of 1812 however...we won. The town grew rapidly after 1815 due to the expanding role it had in trade and transportation. In 1834, 9,250 people and less than 20 years later the population exploded to 30,775 people. This was the eve to the birth of our railroads. A rebellion in 1837-1838 severely divided the city and disease such as cholera and typhus struck the people and the economy from 1832-1848. In 1901 the population was 208,000 and when World War One was declared many from this area went off to Europe. By 1941, again with many from the area off in World War Two the population was then 667,500. After WW2 Toronto began to rivel Montreal as the cultural and commerce capital of Canada and the population of Toronto passed Montreal in 1976. By 2001 152 languages and dialects are spoken in Toronto with relative peace existance when you look at other cities in the world. It is truly one of the most multi-cultural cities you can find anywhere and to me...it is home.
Favourite Words or Sayings
Hello everyone,
Many people of asked me which city was my favourite and honestly they all were. Each one was different but all of them were very special and a great Canadian experience. So, instead of my favourite city here are a few of my favourite sayings or words I learned over the summer. In no particular order...
Git'er done
Suck it up buttercup
BRAVO!
Clapping towards the person
Leave your mark
Hi my name is Barb, this is my friend Shelley, this is my other friend Shelley
Friamily
Friendship
BELIEVE ( a very powerful word)
Don't walk behind me, don't walk in front of me, walk beside me.
Crew/peeps
Lady from Impanema...dee dee didity...dee dee....
Do what ever it takes
7 city tour
Canada
Courage and inspiration
the human spirit we have to unite as one to beat this disease
research
Ok...one favourite spot...the town of Weston in Toronto...you guys ROCK
have just one sour chew
is anyone else hearing bells?
420 kms...Ok nobody could say it before we finished but holy moly...420 kms..it is just hitting me now
determination
Mom
Dad
Joanne
bravery
cure
I am sure there are some I have missed but what an experience. OH CANADA.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Many people of asked me which city was my favourite and honestly they all were. Each one was different but all of them were very special and a great Canadian experience. So, instead of my favourite city here are a few of my favourite sayings or words I learned over the summer. In no particular order...
Git'er done
Suck it up buttercup
BRAVO!
Clapping towards the person
Leave your mark
Hi my name is Barb, this is my friend Shelley, this is my other friend Shelley
Friamily
Friendship
BELIEVE ( a very powerful word)
Don't walk behind me, don't walk in front of me, walk beside me.
Crew/peeps
Lady from Impanema...dee dee didity...dee dee....
Do what ever it takes
7 city tour
Canada
Courage and inspiration
the human spirit we have to unite as one to beat this disease
research
Ok...one favourite spot...the town of Weston in Toronto...you guys ROCK
have just one sour chew
is anyone else hearing bells?
420 kms...Ok nobody could say it before we finished but holy moly...420 kms..it is just hitting me now
determination
Mom
Dad
Joanne
bravery
cure
I am sure there are some I have missed but what an experience. OH CANADA.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Monday, October 8, 2007
My Dad
Hello everyone,
I can't believe that it was ten years ago since I lost my Dad to colon cancer. Every time I heard the words "Princess Margaret" I would think of my Dad and our trips that we would take down to Princess Margaret for his radiation treatments. It became a routine for us that just became part of our lives for a period of time. Sometimes it was very stressful, sometimes it was very special. Sitting on the DVP for hours allows you to talk about many different things in life. After my father passed away, it took me some time to realize that driving him down to Princess Margaret daily was now no longer part of my daily routine. Obviously I missed him but I also missed the drives we had together.
On September 6th, I was fortunate enough to be invited down to Princess Margaret for an unveiling of a statue that was dedicated to the walkers and donors of the Weekend to End Breast Cancer. I was honoured to be invited but at the same time I was apprehensive about going. I had not been back to the hospital since my Dad died and like everyone else...I am not crazy about hospitals...even before I got sick. Having said that, this was too special of an opportunity to turn this down. Going to this event was one of the best things I ever did. It only reinforced what I had learned over the summer, these donations from these walks are making a real difference. I will explain more later. So I drove downtown, like I had done a hundred times before, but this time was different for some reason and I wasn't sure why and thought it was perhaps because I was invited to attend this event. But it wasn't though. I "felt" the routine again that I had with my Dad. It felt familiar and I liked it. I drove down the DVP and got off at Richmond. Why Richmond? Well, that was the way my Dad insisted we go each and every time. It was faster (in his mind). Depending on the mood he was in during our routine drives down there I would sometimes challenge his logic and say that it was quicker to keep going to the Gardner to Bay. Nope. Never. Richmond is quicker. How was I driving there even though I could of gone down the Gardner? Richmond. Maybe it is quicker. So as I get closer to the hospital I realize that in some weird way, I miss driving my Dad to his radiation treatments. I pull into the same parking lot with a little smile on my face. This is where, for the first time, I ever saw a "automated" parking garage. You know, the ones that have those pay machines now and no attendant in them. I first saw those ten years ago with my Dad and now they seem so "routine".
So it is a hot and humid day and we (Joe Wellman and I) are on University Ave in front of the hospital. University Ave, the street that honours our brave men and women who have proudly served in our armed forces now has a new addition to it. It was quite a moment for me when the unveiling of the statue happened. On this same street, a street that recognizes bravery, courage and the will of the human spirit had recognized the walkers, volunteers and donors of the Weekend. To me in addition to this, it recognized hope. Hope, like the other statues that are on this street, that one day the bravery, courage and human spirit of us, as human kind, would look back at this one day and say "remember what these people did for us". I was very proud to be there, for all us.
In the last five years the Weekend to End Breast Cancer has raised over 60 million dollars for Princess Margaret Hospital that support three key areas. I would like to share with you where this money is going because I think it is important to "see" where your donations are going. The following is the impact that the funds of had on Princess Margaret in the last five years.
- $20.5 million to The Campbell Family Institute for breast cancer research led by Dr. Tak Mak. The institute now has 11 principle investigators and a research team of over 130 strong. Because of the Walk.
-$3 million to support the first ever Weekend to End Breast Cancer Chair in Breast Cancer Research held by Dr. Tak Mak, a world renowned scientist. Because of the Walk.
-$3.4 million pledged to support a comprehensive breast imaging program and funds towards the purchase of a Breast MRI at the hospital. Because of the walk.
-over $3.4 million to purchase cutting edge research equipment and support breast cancer research activities in the Hospital research expansion at MaRS. Because of the walk.
- over $3.3 million in funding for the establishment and continued support of the FIRST comprehensive WEBC Survivorship Clinic and Program in Canada. Because of the walk.
-a newly renovated and re-designed M. Lau Breast Cancer Centre that provides complete care for breast cancer patients from screening and diagnosis through treatment and survivorship. Because of the walk.
-$1.35 million to support two Breast Cancer Tumour Banks and one corresponding database at PMH. Because of the walk.
-$250,000 to support the research into breast cancer prevention focusing on the understanding of mammographic density as a risk factor, its measurement, its causes and its significance as a biomarker of breast cancer risk. They now believe this is one of the most significant break throughs in breast cancer risk. Because of the walk.
-$1.48 million to support the pioneering of the Rapid Diagnosis pilot program recently featured in the Toronto Star. A patient went into the hospital in the morning and had her biopsy results that afternoon. This eliminates the stressful period of waiting for the results. Which can be almost the toughest part. Weeks of not knowing. This is not "routine" yet but it has been done once now and it will just be a matter of time. Like man on the moon. Routine. If it can be done for Breast Cancer other cancer diagnosis will follow just a quick. Because of the walk.
-$350,000 to support the clinical trial of intraoperative radiation therapy. The procedure delivers a one-time dose of radiation during surgery, takes less than an hour and eliminates the need for further radiation treatments. Because of the walk.
-Funding to support research into T cell activation and tumour immunity, leading to important alternatives for breast cancer treatment by harnessing the body's own immune system to target cancer cells. Because of the walk.
For me, it was great to actually be able to hear and see the positive effects your donations are having. This survivorship centre is a world leader and the first of any country in the world. It is a beautiful area of the hospital that centres on helping the patients and survivors through the whole process of dealing with diagnosis and treatment as well as the financial and psychological effects of beating this disease. Other hospitals from around the world come and visit this centre to learn from it. The breast density studies may be the earliest indicators that we now have for early detection. The survival rate is now at 86% for patients to live at least five years now. That is a huge increase from just a few years ago. In talking with some of the doctors at lunch, you could hear in their voices and see it in their eyes, we are at the top of a wave in research and over the next 10 to 20 years we will see many advances for prevention and survival of this disease. Many people will say "when will we find a cure for cancer?"...well the truth is we have found many already. If one of our greatest Canadians, Terry Fox, was alive today the doctors said that he would not of lost his leg and chances are he would of not died from this disease. This is just one example there are many more.
As I was on my way out from the hospital I stopped in the lobby and looked around. I remembered the first time my Dad and I walked into that lobby and how impressed we were with it. It was a really unique concept and design. It is very open and airy and does not really have that "hospital feel" to it. I know that this is more popular and common today but at that time it was like the building was telling you something...you are here because of this illness and it is stressful and maybe depressing but the place you have to go to does not need to be. As an architect this is what you try to achieve...as a reader of this though you may just think I am nuts! I walked to my car and paid the automated machine and smiled. My routine had been the same that day and it felt as maybe my Dad was with me but there was one big difference in the routine. This was a new start to a new routine...making a positive difference for the people who would be walking through those doors day after day. I will still take Richmond the next time I go to Princess Margaret...just for that familiar feeling...but I will always think the Gardner would be faster.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
I can't believe that it was ten years ago since I lost my Dad to colon cancer. Every time I heard the words "Princess Margaret" I would think of my Dad and our trips that we would take down to Princess Margaret for his radiation treatments. It became a routine for us that just became part of our lives for a period of time. Sometimes it was very stressful, sometimes it was very special. Sitting on the DVP for hours allows you to talk about many different things in life. After my father passed away, it took me some time to realize that driving him down to Princess Margaret daily was now no longer part of my daily routine. Obviously I missed him but I also missed the drives we had together.
On September 6th, I was fortunate enough to be invited down to Princess Margaret for an unveiling of a statue that was dedicated to the walkers and donors of the Weekend to End Breast Cancer. I was honoured to be invited but at the same time I was apprehensive about going. I had not been back to the hospital since my Dad died and like everyone else...I am not crazy about hospitals...even before I got sick. Having said that, this was too special of an opportunity to turn this down. Going to this event was one of the best things I ever did. It only reinforced what I had learned over the summer, these donations from these walks are making a real difference. I will explain more later. So I drove downtown, like I had done a hundred times before, but this time was different for some reason and I wasn't sure why and thought it was perhaps because I was invited to attend this event. But it wasn't though. I "felt" the routine again that I had with my Dad. It felt familiar and I liked it. I drove down the DVP and got off at Richmond. Why Richmond? Well, that was the way my Dad insisted we go each and every time. It was faster (in his mind). Depending on the mood he was in during our routine drives down there I would sometimes challenge his logic and say that it was quicker to keep going to the Gardner to Bay. Nope. Never. Richmond is quicker. How was I driving there even though I could of gone down the Gardner? Richmond. Maybe it is quicker. So as I get closer to the hospital I realize that in some weird way, I miss driving my Dad to his radiation treatments. I pull into the same parking lot with a little smile on my face. This is where, for the first time, I ever saw a "automated" parking garage. You know, the ones that have those pay machines now and no attendant in them. I first saw those ten years ago with my Dad and now they seem so "routine".
So it is a hot and humid day and we (Joe Wellman and I) are on University Ave in front of the hospital. University Ave, the street that honours our brave men and women who have proudly served in our armed forces now has a new addition to it. It was quite a moment for me when the unveiling of the statue happened. On this same street, a street that recognizes bravery, courage and the will of the human spirit had recognized the walkers, volunteers and donors of the Weekend. To me in addition to this, it recognized hope. Hope, like the other statues that are on this street, that one day the bravery, courage and human spirit of us, as human kind, would look back at this one day and say "remember what these people did for us". I was very proud to be there, for all us.
In the last five years the Weekend to End Breast Cancer has raised over 60 million dollars for Princess Margaret Hospital that support three key areas. I would like to share with you where this money is going because I think it is important to "see" where your donations are going. The following is the impact that the funds of had on Princess Margaret in the last five years.
- $20.5 million to The Campbell Family Institute for breast cancer research led by Dr. Tak Mak. The institute now has 11 principle investigators and a research team of over 130 strong. Because of the Walk.
-$3 million to support the first ever Weekend to End Breast Cancer Chair in Breast Cancer Research held by Dr. Tak Mak, a world renowned scientist. Because of the Walk.
-$3.4 million pledged to support a comprehensive breast imaging program and funds towards the purchase of a Breast MRI at the hospital. Because of the walk.
-over $3.4 million to purchase cutting edge research equipment and support breast cancer research activities in the Hospital research expansion at MaRS. Because of the walk.
- over $3.3 million in funding for the establishment and continued support of the FIRST comprehensive WEBC Survivorship Clinic and Program in Canada. Because of the walk.
-a newly renovated and re-designed M. Lau Breast Cancer Centre that provides complete care for breast cancer patients from screening and diagnosis through treatment and survivorship. Because of the walk.
-$1.35 million to support two Breast Cancer Tumour Banks and one corresponding database at PMH. Because of the walk.
-$250,000 to support the research into breast cancer prevention focusing on the understanding of mammographic density as a risk factor, its measurement, its causes and its significance as a biomarker of breast cancer risk. They now believe this is one of the most significant break throughs in breast cancer risk. Because of the walk.
-$1.48 million to support the pioneering of the Rapid Diagnosis pilot program recently featured in the Toronto Star. A patient went into the hospital in the morning and had her biopsy results that afternoon. This eliminates the stressful period of waiting for the results. Which can be almost the toughest part. Weeks of not knowing. This is not "routine" yet but it has been done once now and it will just be a matter of time. Like man on the moon. Routine. If it can be done for Breast Cancer other cancer diagnosis will follow just a quick. Because of the walk.
-$350,000 to support the clinical trial of intraoperative radiation therapy. The procedure delivers a one-time dose of radiation during surgery, takes less than an hour and eliminates the need for further radiation treatments. Because of the walk.
-Funding to support research into T cell activation and tumour immunity, leading to important alternatives for breast cancer treatment by harnessing the body's own immune system to target cancer cells. Because of the walk.
For me, it was great to actually be able to hear and see the positive effects your donations are having. This survivorship centre is a world leader and the first of any country in the world. It is a beautiful area of the hospital that centres on helping the patients and survivors through the whole process of dealing with diagnosis and treatment as well as the financial and psychological effects of beating this disease. Other hospitals from around the world come and visit this centre to learn from it. The breast density studies may be the earliest indicators that we now have for early detection. The survival rate is now at 86% for patients to live at least five years now. That is a huge increase from just a few years ago. In talking with some of the doctors at lunch, you could hear in their voices and see it in their eyes, we are at the top of a wave in research and over the next 10 to 20 years we will see many advances for prevention and survival of this disease. Many people will say "when will we find a cure for cancer?"...well the truth is we have found many already. If one of our greatest Canadians, Terry Fox, was alive today the doctors said that he would not of lost his leg and chances are he would of not died from this disease. This is just one example there are many more.
As I was on my way out from the hospital I stopped in the lobby and looked around. I remembered the first time my Dad and I walked into that lobby and how impressed we were with it. It was a really unique concept and design. It is very open and airy and does not really have that "hospital feel" to it. I know that this is more popular and common today but at that time it was like the building was telling you something...you are here because of this illness and it is stressful and maybe depressing but the place you have to go to does not need to be. As an architect this is what you try to achieve...as a reader of this though you may just think I am nuts! I walked to my car and paid the automated machine and smiled. My routine had been the same that day and it felt as maybe my Dad was with me but there was one big difference in the routine. This was a new start to a new routine...making a positive difference for the people who would be walking through those doors day after day. I will still take Richmond the next time I go to Princess Margaret...just for that familiar feeling...but I will always think the Gardner would be faster.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Some Thank you's
Hello everyone,
I am very sorry I have not been able to keep you up to date on the blog lately but I promise it will be done this weekend. I just have to organize my thoughts. Lots of empty room up there to rumble around!
One of the thoughts rumbling around up there, is how many people I have to thank. If I miss you, please accept my apologies it was not intentional.
First, the people in my office and all offices of WCS/Bridgeforce. I am very fortunate in many ways however one of my "luckiest" ones is the people I get to work with day in and day out. They are just a phenomenal group of people who make my job so much easier and more importantly...fun. I enjoy working everyday with all of them. They are such a huge part of this because I underestimated the amount of time this would take me away from the office and yet again, even with all of this time away we are still on target for our objectives. This happened in 2003 when I was away from the office because of my treatments and SARS and they exceeded our targets. It just goes to show that anyone can be replaced!!! Even more easily than you may be willing to admit! After the walk in Toronto, I was out of the office for two weeks travelling in meetings and for my first full day in the office what do they do.....they organize a lunch for Pat and I to celebrate our walks. How good is that!!! Their support of us was so important to us. I can honestly say that it was a team effort. So to the people who have to put up with me everyday...Thank you, thank you, thank you. You make me look good in the industry and that is not easy to do!
To the insurance industry. Thank you. I am very proud to be part of an industry that is so generous and caring. The support that you have shown me is overwhelming yet again. It is very easy for the public to take "shots" at the industry and I think we have to do a better job of showing just how many charities our industry supports. So to anyone who asked us...did you have to raise $2,000 in each city and if so, how? I would always say it is through the generosity of the insurance industry. I would then explain about our WCS golf tournament for Make A Wish and the support of the walks. In the ten years we have had our golf tournament we have raised approximately $225,000 for kids of the Make A Wish Foundation. In the five years that I have done the walks the industry and friends have donated $40,000 this year for a total of over $75,000!!! Through my friends and colleagues in the industry they have raised over $300,000 for charities. That is just my association with them. There are many many others that they support just as well. So this will be my plug for the insurance industry...they are not just big grey buildings who just take your money. In those buildings there are some of the most generous and caring people I know. Even those people at HUB!! ha ha So to the insurance industry...thank you thank you thank you. You do me proud.
To Brian and the people who work at Causeforce. These are some of the hardest working and dedicated people I have met. This is the company who organizes us, feeds us and most importantly cares for us. For every walk we were in, there were the same smiling faces in each city encouraging and supporting us. I think it is easier to walk the seven cities then it is to be on your feet from literally 5 am to 11 pm Saturday and Sunday. Especially, three weekends in a row. They have to set up and clean up each route and each city. It didn't matter if we were in Ottawa or Toronto all the walks felt the same. They are a professional group of people and no matter how tired they were they always had a bright smile on their face and full of enthusiasm. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I miss you guys.
Big Dave. It was probably close to one year ago that he got stuck with me as a client. Dave is my personal trainer. Without a doubt, I would not of been able to do this without his training. More importantly, my knees would not be able to do it. Over the course of the year we made enough trades that the Leafs would win the Cup. Unfortunately, nobody heard us. Otherwise, we would of been hoisting the cup this spring. So, after watching the Leafs last night and tonight our job is clearly not done...so Dave...looks like we will have to talk about the Leafs again while I train for a bike ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls in June 2008 and the walk again in September in Toronto. Maybe in 2009 we can work up to a triathlon over 12 mths! Dave, thank you, thank you, thank you. Another team effort!
Finally, to my friends and family. Truly the greatest gift in my life. I think we all leave footprints in life and these footprints make up who we are. The best parts of me are the footprints you have left on me. Thank you for the laughter, thank you for your overwhelming support and thank you for your footprints.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
I am very sorry I have not been able to keep you up to date on the blog lately but I promise it will be done this weekend. I just have to organize my thoughts. Lots of empty room up there to rumble around!
One of the thoughts rumbling around up there, is how many people I have to thank. If I miss you, please accept my apologies it was not intentional.
First, the people in my office and all offices of WCS/Bridgeforce. I am very fortunate in many ways however one of my "luckiest" ones is the people I get to work with day in and day out. They are just a phenomenal group of people who make my job so much easier and more importantly...fun. I enjoy working everyday with all of them. They are such a huge part of this because I underestimated the amount of time this would take me away from the office and yet again, even with all of this time away we are still on target for our objectives. This happened in 2003 when I was away from the office because of my treatments and SARS and they exceeded our targets. It just goes to show that anyone can be replaced!!! Even more easily than you may be willing to admit! After the walk in Toronto, I was out of the office for two weeks travelling in meetings and for my first full day in the office what do they do.....they organize a lunch for Pat and I to celebrate our walks. How good is that!!! Their support of us was so important to us. I can honestly say that it was a team effort. So to the people who have to put up with me everyday...Thank you, thank you, thank you. You make me look good in the industry and that is not easy to do!
To the insurance industry. Thank you. I am very proud to be part of an industry that is so generous and caring. The support that you have shown me is overwhelming yet again. It is very easy for the public to take "shots" at the industry and I think we have to do a better job of showing just how many charities our industry supports. So to anyone who asked us...did you have to raise $2,000 in each city and if so, how? I would always say it is through the generosity of the insurance industry. I would then explain about our WCS golf tournament for Make A Wish and the support of the walks. In the ten years we have had our golf tournament we have raised approximately $225,000 for kids of the Make A Wish Foundation. In the five years that I have done the walks the industry and friends have donated $40,000 this year for a total of over $75,000!!! Through my friends and colleagues in the industry they have raised over $300,000 for charities. That is just my association with them. There are many many others that they support just as well. So this will be my plug for the insurance industry...they are not just big grey buildings who just take your money. In those buildings there are some of the most generous and caring people I know. Even those people at HUB!! ha ha So to the insurance industry...thank you thank you thank you. You do me proud.
To Brian and the people who work at Causeforce. These are some of the hardest working and dedicated people I have met. This is the company who organizes us, feeds us and most importantly cares for us. For every walk we were in, there were the same smiling faces in each city encouraging and supporting us. I think it is easier to walk the seven cities then it is to be on your feet from literally 5 am to 11 pm Saturday and Sunday. Especially, three weekends in a row. They have to set up and clean up each route and each city. It didn't matter if we were in Ottawa or Toronto all the walks felt the same. They are a professional group of people and no matter how tired they were they always had a bright smile on their face and full of enthusiasm. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I miss you guys.
Big Dave. It was probably close to one year ago that he got stuck with me as a client. Dave is my personal trainer. Without a doubt, I would not of been able to do this without his training. More importantly, my knees would not be able to do it. Over the course of the year we made enough trades that the Leafs would win the Cup. Unfortunately, nobody heard us. Otherwise, we would of been hoisting the cup this spring. So, after watching the Leafs last night and tonight our job is clearly not done...so Dave...looks like we will have to talk about the Leafs again while I train for a bike ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls in June 2008 and the walk again in September in Toronto. Maybe in 2009 we can work up to a triathlon over 12 mths! Dave, thank you, thank you, thank you. Another team effort!
Finally, to my friends and family. Truly the greatest gift in my life. I think we all leave footprints in life and these footprints make up who we are. The best parts of me are the footprints you have left on me. Thank you for the laughter, thank you for your overwhelming support and thank you for your footprints.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Critical illness Insurance
Hello everyone,
When I started with the idea of this blog, I honestly thought that I would not make this a "plug" for the insurance business but after walking through seven cities and meeting the people I have, I feel compelled to say this. Talk to your life insurance agent about a product called "critical illness". Please. This product could be this most important product you can buy from your agent. It does not have to be a large amount because the product is more expensive than the traditional life insurance product, it may just be an amount that equals one year of mortgage payments.
Here is my experience with this product. The policy provides a lump sum, tax free benefit to you the policy owner. Now, I am not trying to scare you but imagine you are diagnosed with a critical illness, e.g. cancer, heart attack and stroke and live. Your life insurance, thankfully, is not paid, but because of your condition you may not be able to work for three months and when you do come back it may not be full time. This policy would pay you a lump sum benefit that would help you with the bills like your mortgage. Ironically, this policy was not the idea of the insurance companies but rather a doctor from South Africa who performed the first heart transplant on his own brother. Dr. Marius Bernard was the doctor who designed this product. He recognized the financial need that people have now when they survive a "critical illness". The product is not priced to have you live the "high life" after you survive but just imagine if you are a female, 37 years old who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. You wonder how you will maintain your full income and pay your bills. Chances are you can not do both. Now imagine yourself as a 37 year old female who has one of the policies and does not have to worry about the mortgage payment for the next year. Imagine how much of a weight that would be off your shoulders. Imagine how you would be able to concentrate on getting yourself healthy knowing that your mortgage is paid for, for at least one year. That was me. I had one of these policies and it was such a relief in so many ways knowing that the next year's mortgage was not going to be a problem. Now imagine that house with a spouse and kids. Imagine the relief then.
This product is much different than what most people know about life insurance. Again, it is more expensive because it is priced on the possibility of people getting sick at a younger age where the traditional life insurance policy is priced based on someone dying usually at a older age. The average age of a claim for critical illness in Canada is 42 years old. Yes, you are reading this correctly, the average age for a claim is 42 years old. You may have $250,000 of life insurance in force and it costs so much a year. It could be that $25,000 of critical illness costs the same amount depending on age, sex and smoking status. The other important factor is FAMILY HISTORY. The evidence shows that as a general rule we can't fight our family history. I am a shining example of this. My mother passed away from breast cancer at the age of 58, my maternal cousin at the age of 40 and her mother passed away in her mid 40's all from breast cancer. I was diagnosed at the age of 37 and for good measure let's throw in my dad who passed away from colon cancer at the age of 70. So I am not saying if your parents have had a critical illness you will(generally prior to age 65), it is that your chances are higher that you will. Most people are aware of this today and try to not do the same mistakes their parents did, however, the insurance companies have to price the product for this.
So, this is my commercial for the insurance industry. It is my (simpleton) opinion that just about everyone should have this product. It was "invented" by a doctor in South Africa who saw what the financial stress was causing his patients when they survived a criticall illness. It is more expensive than life insurance but there is a real reason for this. It is based on morbidity not mortality. Even though you do not live the same lifestyle as your parents, your family history does increase your risk of one of these critical illnesses. You may be a "standard" risk for life insurance but simply because of your family history you may be rated for that and nothing else.
I benefitted from this type of policy myself. I saw the men and women who have been diagnosed with this disease at such a young age. I try to make sure that all of my friends have this policy because I believe so strongly in it. If you are reading this and don't have this product or have not heard of it, please, please pick up the phone and call your life insurance agent to ask them more about this product. It could be one of the smartest things you can do to help you recover from a disease. It was one of the smartest things I did and trust me...I ain't that smart! Please, call your insurance agent about critical illness and just talk to them about it. I say this to you as a "friend" who cares, not as a person in the insurance business however I am very proud to say the insurance industry does care about Canadians. Their support of this product and of the Weekend to End Breast Cancer is proof of that.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
When I started with the idea of this blog, I honestly thought that I would not make this a "plug" for the insurance business but after walking through seven cities and meeting the people I have, I feel compelled to say this. Talk to your life insurance agent about a product called "critical illness". Please. This product could be this most important product you can buy from your agent. It does not have to be a large amount because the product is more expensive than the traditional life insurance product, it may just be an amount that equals one year of mortgage payments.
Here is my experience with this product. The policy provides a lump sum, tax free benefit to you the policy owner. Now, I am not trying to scare you but imagine you are diagnosed with a critical illness, e.g. cancer, heart attack and stroke and live. Your life insurance, thankfully, is not paid, but because of your condition you may not be able to work for three months and when you do come back it may not be full time. This policy would pay you a lump sum benefit that would help you with the bills like your mortgage. Ironically, this policy was not the idea of the insurance companies but rather a doctor from South Africa who performed the first heart transplant on his own brother. Dr. Marius Bernard was the doctor who designed this product. He recognized the financial need that people have now when they survive a "critical illness". The product is not priced to have you live the "high life" after you survive but just imagine if you are a female, 37 years old who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. You wonder how you will maintain your full income and pay your bills. Chances are you can not do both. Now imagine yourself as a 37 year old female who has one of the policies and does not have to worry about the mortgage payment for the next year. Imagine how much of a weight that would be off your shoulders. Imagine how you would be able to concentrate on getting yourself healthy knowing that your mortgage is paid for, for at least one year. That was me. I had one of these policies and it was such a relief in so many ways knowing that the next year's mortgage was not going to be a problem. Now imagine that house with a spouse and kids. Imagine the relief then.
This product is much different than what most people know about life insurance. Again, it is more expensive because it is priced on the possibility of people getting sick at a younger age where the traditional life insurance policy is priced based on someone dying usually at a older age. The average age of a claim for critical illness in Canada is 42 years old. Yes, you are reading this correctly, the average age for a claim is 42 years old. You may have $250,000 of life insurance in force and it costs so much a year. It could be that $25,000 of critical illness costs the same amount depending on age, sex and smoking status. The other important factor is FAMILY HISTORY. The evidence shows that as a general rule we can't fight our family history. I am a shining example of this. My mother passed away from breast cancer at the age of 58, my maternal cousin at the age of 40 and her mother passed away in her mid 40's all from breast cancer. I was diagnosed at the age of 37 and for good measure let's throw in my dad who passed away from colon cancer at the age of 70. So I am not saying if your parents have had a critical illness you will(generally prior to age 65), it is that your chances are higher that you will. Most people are aware of this today and try to not do the same mistakes their parents did, however, the insurance companies have to price the product for this.
So, this is my commercial for the insurance industry. It is my (simpleton) opinion that just about everyone should have this product. It was "invented" by a doctor in South Africa who saw what the financial stress was causing his patients when they survived a criticall illness. It is more expensive than life insurance but there is a real reason for this. It is based on morbidity not mortality. Even though you do not live the same lifestyle as your parents, your family history does increase your risk of one of these critical illnesses. You may be a "standard" risk for life insurance but simply because of your family history you may be rated for that and nothing else.
I benefitted from this type of policy myself. I saw the men and women who have been diagnosed with this disease at such a young age. I try to make sure that all of my friends have this policy because I believe so strongly in it. If you are reading this and don't have this product or have not heard of it, please, please pick up the phone and call your life insurance agent to ask them more about this product. It could be one of the smartest things you can do to help you recover from a disease. It was one of the smartest things I did and trust me...I ain't that smart! Please, call your insurance agent about critical illness and just talk to them about it. I say this to you as a "friend" who cares, not as a person in the insurance business however I am very proud to say the insurance industry does care about Canadians. Their support of this product and of the Weekend to End Breast Cancer is proof of that.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The perfect rainbow
Hello everyone,
The day after I got back from Montreal I went to buy my usual monthly edition of Vanity Fair...guess what was on the cover....Girl from Ipanema. I kid you not. I almost fell over in the convenience store. Landing in Calgary, after reading about the plight of the African children, here is this beautiful celebration of their tradition in the airport. I think I was meant to sit beside Ted on our flight to Winnipeg.
This morning I had to leave the house by 6:45 which is something I rarely do but I had to stop and get a coffee and a bagel to wake up. As I come around the corner of the drive through there is the most incredibly bright PERFECT rainbow. You could actually see where it started and ended. The full arch was as bright and full as you see on a postcard. I had never seen a rainbow like this before in my life. I have seen lots of "parts" of rainbows but this was the full arch in orange, purple, red and blue. It was incredible. I was running late but I just parked the car and stopped and stared. It was nature at it's best. If you know Aurora at all, the one arch "started" at the new Allstate headoffice on the north west side of the 404 and the other arch "ended" at the south east corner of the 404. So after being memorized by this for five minutes I unfortunately had to get going. As I started to drive, it occurred to me that in order to get to the airport I was going to have to drive through this perfect rainbow. As I was driving through it I couldn't help but wonder...was there something up in the sky that was trying to show or tell me something? I will never know but as I looked back in the rear view mirror I could not see the rainbow anymore. That is OK though. What I saw was enough. It will be something I will always remember. The perfect rainbow against the bright blue sky and me, with a small smile on my face.
I will not be able to add anything to the blog until Monday night now but I hope to have you all up to date about our Toronto walk next week. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention...WE DID IT!
With love and thanks,
M.J.
The day after I got back from Montreal I went to buy my usual monthly edition of Vanity Fair...guess what was on the cover....Girl from Ipanema. I kid you not. I almost fell over in the convenience store. Landing in Calgary, after reading about the plight of the African children, here is this beautiful celebration of their tradition in the airport. I think I was meant to sit beside Ted on our flight to Winnipeg.
This morning I had to leave the house by 6:45 which is something I rarely do but I had to stop and get a coffee and a bagel to wake up. As I come around the corner of the drive through there is the most incredibly bright PERFECT rainbow. You could actually see where it started and ended. The full arch was as bright and full as you see on a postcard. I had never seen a rainbow like this before in my life. I have seen lots of "parts" of rainbows but this was the full arch in orange, purple, red and blue. It was incredible. I was running late but I just parked the car and stopped and stared. It was nature at it's best. If you know Aurora at all, the one arch "started" at the new Allstate headoffice on the north west side of the 404 and the other arch "ended" at the south east corner of the 404. So after being memorized by this for five minutes I unfortunately had to get going. As I started to drive, it occurred to me that in order to get to the airport I was going to have to drive through this perfect rainbow. As I was driving through it I couldn't help but wonder...was there something up in the sky that was trying to show or tell me something? I will never know but as I looked back in the rear view mirror I could not see the rainbow anymore. That is OK though. What I saw was enough. It will be something I will always remember. The perfect rainbow against the bright blue sky and me, with a small smile on my face.
I will not be able to add anything to the blog until Monday night now but I hope to have you all up to date about our Toronto walk next week. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention...WE DID IT!
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
A tribute to Joanne
It was one year ago today that my inspiration for this walk…Joanne…passed away from breast cancer. Joanne’s oldest son Dylan has a girlfriend named Jennifer who made this wonderful video to remember Joanne. Jennifer is 14/15 years old and to honour Joanne and her whole incredible “friamily” (great term Mike made up that means family and friends together in one word) this will be my only posting to the blog today. I think this caring video from a young lady says it all and it reinforces what our shirts say at the end of the walk “Leave your mark. I did” It is quite clear that Joanne did and will continue to leave her mark for years and generations to come.
To Joanne, it was an honour to meet you. You were my inspiration to walk in the seven cities.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Click here to see the tribute to Joanne
To Joanne, it was an honour to meet you. You were my inspiration to walk in the seven cities.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Click here to see the tribute to Joanne
Friday, September 7, 2007
Sunday night dinner in Montreal
Hello everyone,
Who has more fun...NOOOOOOBBOOOOODDDYYYYY! Oh my god did we laugh on Sunday night. After we finished the walk and went to the closing ceremonies we headed back to the hotel. We dealt with the manager and got the "Alice situation" straightened out and headed up to our rooms for a well deserved cocktail.
Well, those beers and glasses of vino are exactly what the doctor ordered because we were exhausted. But with each beer/wine the colour came back to our faces and with our peeps the stress of the afternoon was finally leaving their shoulders and they started to tell us about bike paths and one way bridges. We decided it was not time to celebrate. So we call the concierge and they arranged reservations for us at the Vogue Hotel a short walk from the hotel.
We walk into this very nice quiet restaurant with a fellow playing the piano. Now I love piano bars and this fellow just happened to be playing a little Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra. Some of my all time favourites. We sit down at this nice table and I look around to see if anyone is close by to us. I have a feeling we will be making "friends" again tonight. Luckily, the other tables are out of the patio. Far from harms way.
Whenever I am in a place that has someone playing the piano or singing I always applaud. Most of the time they are good and I it does not cost anything to acknowledge them. Well, it appears that my friends do the same thing. So after the fellow is done playing the first song since we sat down we all applaud at the same time. This goes on for five songs. Finally, he tells the audience that he is going for a five minute break. He makes his way over to our table just to say "thanks for the applause. He really appreciated it." Well, that was all we needed to hear. He had set the guidelines for the night now. So we are now good friends with Nicholas (that was the name he told us anyway) and he will take some requests for us. So Pat is the first one to go the washroom and as she walks by the piano she gives him a $20 for his jar. He had been playing well all night and nobody has tipped him. Shortly after Pat gets back, I have to use the washroom. So as I walk by I notice his jar only has $20 in it. I think to myself..poor Nicholas...he is a great piano player and they have only tipped him $20 all night. (We have been there about an hour now) So I give him $20.
At his next break Nicholas now loves us and we are having a lot of fun now!! We finish our dinner and have some desert and after dinner drinks and the stress of the day has now completely left all parts of our body. The owner and chef have now come over to our table and given hugs to all of us. So we put in our request to Nicholas and we ask for "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, Nice and Easy by Frank Sinatra and "Girl from Impanea" This last request will be a song that I will forever associate with Montreal. Nicholas plays "Crazy" for us and this nice quiet restaurant now has one table that thinks we are in a karaoke bar. We think we are in tune though.
Well at this point one of us (not naming names to protect the "innocent")has the urge to dance. Nicholas has now chosen this moment to play "Girl from Impanema". Well, I don't care who you are you can't help but sing that song. Problem was none of us could remember the words. So in our best voices we sing along with Nicholas but now the words are "dee...dee..deitiy..dee...deity" and the four of us are dancing with in our seats and just flexing/dancing with our index fingers. The one that had the urge to dance...she is in a chair beside Nicholas...she inches closer...inches closer...finally she can't take it anymore. She is up on the piano singing her heart out to the "Girl from Impanena" and can't remember the words. That is Ok though...because after she gets off the piano she goes over to the owner/chef and starts dancing with his wife! Well, it could not of been a funnier site. Once again, we have made friends in the restaurant. Luckily, it was the owner and wife otherwise we may have been out on the street.
So as bid our aideau's, Nicholas now has $80 in tips (from us) and the five of us leave the restaurant singing...dee...deeity....deee...deeddee...and dancing with our index fingers. This singing and dancing continues through the streets of Montreal as we walk home and throughout the hotel lobby and hallway.
I have no idea where we got the energy for all this but as we said that night...What happens in Montreal...stays in Montreal....the memory though...you get to carry that forever with you. To you guys who spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E Thanks for one incredibly fun evening. I am thinking ROAD TRIP next year. No walk, just laughs.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Who has more fun...NOOOOOOBBOOOOODDDYYYYY! Oh my god did we laugh on Sunday night. After we finished the walk and went to the closing ceremonies we headed back to the hotel. We dealt with the manager and got the "Alice situation" straightened out and headed up to our rooms for a well deserved cocktail.
Well, those beers and glasses of vino are exactly what the doctor ordered because we were exhausted. But with each beer/wine the colour came back to our faces and with our peeps the stress of the afternoon was finally leaving their shoulders and they started to tell us about bike paths and one way bridges. We decided it was not time to celebrate. So we call the concierge and they arranged reservations for us at the Vogue Hotel a short walk from the hotel.
We walk into this very nice quiet restaurant with a fellow playing the piano. Now I love piano bars and this fellow just happened to be playing a little Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra. Some of my all time favourites. We sit down at this nice table and I look around to see if anyone is close by to us. I have a feeling we will be making "friends" again tonight. Luckily, the other tables are out of the patio. Far from harms way.
Whenever I am in a place that has someone playing the piano or singing I always applaud. Most of the time they are good and I it does not cost anything to acknowledge them. Well, it appears that my friends do the same thing. So after the fellow is done playing the first song since we sat down we all applaud at the same time. This goes on for five songs. Finally, he tells the audience that he is going for a five minute break. He makes his way over to our table just to say "thanks for the applause. He really appreciated it." Well, that was all we needed to hear. He had set the guidelines for the night now. So we are now good friends with Nicholas (that was the name he told us anyway) and he will take some requests for us. So Pat is the first one to go the washroom and as she walks by the piano she gives him a $20 for his jar. He had been playing well all night and nobody has tipped him. Shortly after Pat gets back, I have to use the washroom. So as I walk by I notice his jar only has $20 in it. I think to myself..poor Nicholas...he is a great piano player and they have only tipped him $20 all night. (We have been there about an hour now) So I give him $20.
At his next break Nicholas now loves us and we are having a lot of fun now!! We finish our dinner and have some desert and after dinner drinks and the stress of the day has now completely left all parts of our body. The owner and chef have now come over to our table and given hugs to all of us. So we put in our request to Nicholas and we ask for "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, Nice and Easy by Frank Sinatra and "Girl from Impanea" This last request will be a song that I will forever associate with Montreal. Nicholas plays "Crazy" for us and this nice quiet restaurant now has one table that thinks we are in a karaoke bar. We think we are in tune though.
Well at this point one of us (not naming names to protect the "innocent")has the urge to dance. Nicholas has now chosen this moment to play "Girl from Impanema". Well, I don't care who you are you can't help but sing that song. Problem was none of us could remember the words. So in our best voices we sing along with Nicholas but now the words are "dee...dee..deitiy..dee...deity" and the four of us are dancing with in our seats and just flexing/dancing with our index fingers. The one that had the urge to dance...she is in a chair beside Nicholas...she inches closer...inches closer...finally she can't take it anymore. She is up on the piano singing her heart out to the "Girl from Impanena" and can't remember the words. That is Ok though...because after she gets off the piano she goes over to the owner/chef and starts dancing with his wife! Well, it could not of been a funnier site. Once again, we have made friends in the restaurant. Luckily, it was the owner and wife otherwise we may have been out on the street.
So as bid our aideau's, Nicholas now has $80 in tips (from us) and the five of us leave the restaurant singing...dee...deeity....deee...deeddee...and dancing with our index fingers. This singing and dancing continues through the streets of Montreal as we walk home and throughout the hotel lobby and hallway.
I have no idea where we got the energy for all this but as we said that night...What happens in Montreal...stays in Montreal....the memory though...you get to carry that forever with you. To you guys who spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E Thanks for one incredibly fun evening. I am thinking ROAD TRIP next year. No walk, just laughs.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Sunday in Montreal
Bonjour Mon Ameis, (again with the french!),
After a quiet dinner last night we are ready again to walk the second day in Montreal and we are pretty pumped about it. Pat and I are feeling pretty good on the second day of "three in a row" and we are ready to "git'er done" with Tanis.
One of the things that is giving me energy today is that we finish the walk in Olympic Stadium. For me, this a big thrill. One of the things I forgot to mention before is a fact that I did not know...they call the stadium the "Big O" because it cost 695 million to build. The stadium is the proper name because the people of Montreal spell it the "Big OWE"...now I understand. The first event ever held in the "Big Owe" was the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in 1976. Does anyone remember Greg Joy? A Canadian highjumper?
It was such a relaxing drive to the park on Sunday morning because it was not a cab ride. Pat and I enjoyed meeting and talking with our cab drivers but we were so glad not to have to depend on them to get us to the park on time. WE LOVE OUR PEEPS! Also, our cab drivers did not get us Starbucks in the morning fixed just the way we like our coffee.
The one thing that I have noticed about the walkers in Montreal is that they have the oldest group walking. I am simply amazed at this. To be doing this in your 20's is one thing, in your 40's is another, but in Montreal these people were amazing. There was a story in the paper of a man who was 93 walking. 93!!!!! At 93 my greatest hope is that I can remember where the washroom is and walk to it!! Never mind raising $2,000 and attempting to walk 60 Kms. I did not see this fellow on the walk, I wish I did but he was probably miles ahead of me, but I would of really enjoyed meeting him. What an incredible lust for life he must have.
Pat was talking with one lady on Sunday morning and she was 71. She was a fiesty lady who was walking by herself. She was telling Pat that her husband was becoming quite worried about her on Saturday because she "usually finishes the walk at 3:30 and she did not get in until 4 yesterday". 71 years old...walks 35 kms in one day...husband worried she did not finish it in her usual 8 hours but it takes her 8 and half...ubelievable. For the record, we finished at 3:45 and nobody was worried about how long it was taking us! In addition to this, she told Pat about this so matter of fact. No big deal. Holly Moley!!!
Then there was Sylvia. Sylvia was about 5 feet tall, and if you saw her in a go go cage in the 60's with neon bright flowered print tights on she would not look out of place but you certainly noticed those same tights on the walk. On the walk you noticed her. She was a spark plug. Sylvia has done 75 marathons and this is the fourth year she was walking. Her pace was quick, I could not keep up and she was wallking with her daughther. When she got a little sore she would take an Advil sometimes. Her hip would sometimes hurt and yesterday was one of those days so she did finally take ONE Advil. Sylvia is a holocust survivor and will be 80 years old this year. She married the first man she met in Canada and when their first daughter was born she would get "antsy" when she went off to kindergarten. She went on some medication for her nerves but a friend of hers got her off them and she started to run with them instead. She has never looked back. 4 sixty km walks and 75 marathons later this little dynamo with her neon flowered pants is still walking for a cure. For the record, I took probably 8 Advil on Saturday and already had three before we caught up to her on Sunday. Way to go Sylvia, you are quite the inspiration.
So were are on our way to lunch and I see a sign that gives me energy..." one day as a team we will turn these ribbons the other way around and it will become the sign of victory". Again, something I needed to see at just the right time. We are now at lunch and are making very good time. We are having lunch in a park and we are looking for our "peeps" and we can not find them. No problem...maybe they are catching a bite to eat themselves after answering to our every whim all weekend. I am little concern though because they have not called but I do not say anything to Pat and Tanis. So we finish our lunch and off we start again. Francine is doing an excellent job of letting us know the different areas of the city which is very interesting. At one of our rest stops there is a podium with medals and it looks like the Olympic podiums. So of course the three of us get up on it and hopefully soon I will include pictures of this. It is about this time that we hear from our "peeps" on my cell. It is Patti and she is calling from the police station. This is where one of my mother traits has been handed down to me. Worry. If I know that people are coming up to the house or cottage and they are late they have to call me otherwise I worry about them. I know everything is fine...I just like to hear them tell me that. I get it from my Mom. It drove me nuts when I was 16 but over the years I see now how smart she got! So, my heart skips a beat because I automatically assume that driving around Montreal has caught up with them and they were in a fender bender. That is not quite exactly the story.
Life lessons. It does not matter how old you are I believe you will always be learning life lessons. Saturday night was a life lesson for all of us. After our peeps picked us up on Saturday we went to the valet of the hotel we were staying at emptied out the car of our junk and gave them the keys to park it. Except we left the GPS or Alice in the car. Valet parking...it should not be a problem. WRONG. Sunday morning when we got it the car Alice was gone and the ironic thing was that after leading them right to Schwartz and Main on the Main...Alice had enough and did not work again afer that. However, she was now gone. Here is the life lesson...even in valet parking DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING IN THE CAR. I have done this a hundred times over the years and have left my purse, computer, cell phone etc in the car thinking it was "extra" safe because of the valet parking. Life lesson.. I will not do that again. So of course the "peeps" felt absolutely horrible about this and were sincerely afraid for their job security. They were hoping to get this all cleared up with the hotel while we were walking and they would be able to meet us later.
That is when they called from the police station. It seems they could not speak to anyone at the hotel until they filed a police report. Ok, now this is when it really gets good. You may want to re-read Thursday in Montreal before you read on. So here is my understanding of how the conversation went at the police station.
Peeps...we are here to file a report for a stolen GPS
Police...OK. Which one of you owns the car?
Peeps...it is a rental
Police...do you have the paper work?
Peeps....yes, it is right here
Police...which one of you are Mari-Jayne Woodyatt?
Peeps...neither of us. She rented the car and is walking 60 kms this weekend.
Police...so who are you?
Peeps...we are friends who are helping them out and we are driving the car. We are the "second drivers" on the car.
Police...where is Mari-Jayne Woodyatt and why are you driving this car? (He is now thinking he may have some car theives reporting a stolen GPS system!)
Peeps...Weekend to End Breast Cancer...we wanted to settle this up while she is walking
Police...so where is the Buick Alure parked?
Peeps...what???? (nervous laughter)
Police...the paperwork here says you have rented a Buick
Peeps...(nervous laughing hysteria breaks out) yeah, this is funny. When MARI-JAYNE orginally rented this car they had it as a Buick but that would not hold Pat and Tanis' overnight luggage bag so we are driving an Impala instead.
Police...Ok let's just recap. You are here to report a stolen GPS that is rented not under your name... and the paper work you are showing me is for a car you are not driving. Is this correct?
Peeps...(in a small voice) Yes. Honest.
Police...Ok then. Show me the paperwork for the GPS giving me the serial number
Peeps...we don't have any
Police...you are driving a car that is not a Buick that you have not rented and you don't have any paper work for the GPS you are now reporting as stolen?
Peeps...Ah yup, you pretty much have the full picture now.
Police...Ok...laughing...please fill out these forms....
To protect the innocent I will not name names but it appears that my "worry" about their driving in Montreal did not go unfounded. Now my "worry" was not originally about their driving but rather because of the reputation that Montreal drivers have. Well, apparently the Montreal drivers were not part of this. At one point, one of our peeps is driving the other one is studying the map to see where we are. As they are studying the map the driver says "Oh S***T"...the navigator looks up only to discover they are on a two lane bridge that is one way...THEY ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY. So as the horns honk and people let them know their mistake they only can go one way and that is along the bridge to the end to have the chance to turn around. Tanis, Pat and I are howling when we hear this. But alas, it gets better. The same driver and same navigator are once again driving and reading the map and the driver says...I don't think I am on the right road"...the navigator says "yes we are going the right way" and the response from the driver is..."no I am not on the right road because I am on the BIKE PATH"...I am still laughing as I type this. A silver IMPALA going down a BIKE PATH!!! Trust me when I say these bike paths were not wide. There are huge trees on one side and concrete posts on the other and they would barely fit the widith of a compact never mind an IMPALA!! Oh my god I laughed so hard. Then...my cheeks almost exploded because our driving peep not only admitted this once but twice!! Yes folks, twice the Impala was driving down a bike path. And they say the Montreal drivers are crazy. At least their cyclists are safe.
So all of this happened in one morning...police station, wrong way on bridge and twice down a bicycle path!! And I thought we were working hard!
In Toronto, once you see the windmill by the Ex you know you are close. In Montreal it is seeing the roof of the "Big Owe". The distance in both instances is deceptive though. You think you are just around the corner but you are actually probably 8 kms away. So we see the roof and we are excited. At our last stop station before the end is it at 4kms. The three of us were tired but good. However, our friends Joseph and Karen, well, she was not doing too well. She is losing some toe nails and her feet are really giving her problems. We see Joseph first and ask how they are doing and he tells us about Karen. We see her on the lawn in the park on her back with her arm over her eyes. As we walk up we can see she crying. I am not telling you this to embarass her but rather to let you know what people go through for these walks. Joseph and Karen are another couple who are doing all the walks that I have mentioned earlier in the blog. We walk over to her and give her some words of encouragement and tell her we will be waiting for her at the finish. Well, let me tell you...sure enough she and Joseph finished the walk and she walked through and finished despite the obvious pain she was in. It was a special momemt to see them at the end.
As we leave Karen at the rest station, Tanis and I are convinced that after a short while we are less than 2kms away when we see our peeps yelling encouragement to the walkers and hanging out of the car. We are so happy to see them. I say to one of the peeps "we must be less than 2kms" hopefully...will that did not last for long because our peep replies "nope you are still 3kms away" well I guess the look on my face was crestfallen because as our peeps are driving away the one turns to the other and says..."I guess I should not of said that". Now, I can laugh about it. Two weeks later. Just kidding peep. However our spirits were soon lifted by this incredibly enthusitic cop who was driving his car the wrong way up the street with lights flashing and blaring over the loud speaker "Bye Bye Miss American Pie" and after the crushing news from our peeps his music and energy is just what we needed. Now that was a Montreal driver. Ok....he is a cop.
Finally, there it is. Olympic Stadium. People lined up clapping at us...yelling BRAVO....BRAVO....and then it hits me...hard. Pat and I have done it. 3 in a row. Back in May I did not think it was that big of a deal but I now realize the numbers. 180 km's in six days over a three week period. 360 km's walked since the first weekend in June...done in 12 days over two months. I now might be able to say to myself...maybe one day hopefully soon this will make a difference and it is just not for me but I can actual feel all of you with me. My "peeps, my friends who have walked with us in Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal and all of you who reached into your pockets and donated to this cause. You are all walking down the ramp with me into Olympic Stadium. The cities I have seen in this amazing country, the people that I have met along the way... and you. My feet have never felt as light...and my step has never been better. WE ARE ALL walking into this stadium that hosted the world 30 years ago and said...Welcome to Canada. You are in the best country in the world. I hope you have a sense of what I was feeling because all of you are so much a part of this. So the three of us dance our way down the ramp to the incredible reception that awaits us. A friend of mine put it best when they said that the people of Quebec are proud of their emotions. I think that is exactly correct. They are proud of their emotions and love to celebrate life. This was very apparent when we stayed for the closing ceremonies. The roar and applause that a couple of thousand people generated in that stadium sent chills up my spine. It will be a memory that I will never forget.
Thank you Montreal and to the people who live there. You have a fantastic city. I gotta say though...LOOK OUT TORONTO WE ARE BRINGIN' IT ON HOME AND I CAN'T WAIT!
To my Mom and Joanne...you are my courage and inspiration.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
After a quiet dinner last night we are ready again to walk the second day in Montreal and we are pretty pumped about it. Pat and I are feeling pretty good on the second day of "three in a row" and we are ready to "git'er done" with Tanis.
One of the things that is giving me energy today is that we finish the walk in Olympic Stadium. For me, this a big thrill. One of the things I forgot to mention before is a fact that I did not know...they call the stadium the "Big O" because it cost 695 million to build. The stadium is the proper name because the people of Montreal spell it the "Big OWE"...now I understand. The first event ever held in the "Big Owe" was the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in 1976. Does anyone remember Greg Joy? A Canadian highjumper?
It was such a relaxing drive to the park on Sunday morning because it was not a cab ride. Pat and I enjoyed meeting and talking with our cab drivers but we were so glad not to have to depend on them to get us to the park on time. WE LOVE OUR PEEPS! Also, our cab drivers did not get us Starbucks in the morning fixed just the way we like our coffee.
The one thing that I have noticed about the walkers in Montreal is that they have the oldest group walking. I am simply amazed at this. To be doing this in your 20's is one thing, in your 40's is another, but in Montreal these people were amazing. There was a story in the paper of a man who was 93 walking. 93!!!!! At 93 my greatest hope is that I can remember where the washroom is and walk to it!! Never mind raising $2,000 and attempting to walk 60 Kms. I did not see this fellow on the walk, I wish I did but he was probably miles ahead of me, but I would of really enjoyed meeting him. What an incredible lust for life he must have.
Pat was talking with one lady on Sunday morning and she was 71. She was a fiesty lady who was walking by herself. She was telling Pat that her husband was becoming quite worried about her on Saturday because she "usually finishes the walk at 3:30 and she did not get in until 4 yesterday". 71 years old...walks 35 kms in one day...husband worried she did not finish it in her usual 8 hours but it takes her 8 and half...ubelievable. For the record, we finished at 3:45 and nobody was worried about how long it was taking us! In addition to this, she told Pat about this so matter of fact. No big deal. Holly Moley!!!
Then there was Sylvia. Sylvia was about 5 feet tall, and if you saw her in a go go cage in the 60's with neon bright flowered print tights on she would not look out of place but you certainly noticed those same tights on the walk. On the walk you noticed her. She was a spark plug. Sylvia has done 75 marathons and this is the fourth year she was walking. Her pace was quick, I could not keep up and she was wallking with her daughther. When she got a little sore she would take an Advil sometimes. Her hip would sometimes hurt and yesterday was one of those days so she did finally take ONE Advil. Sylvia is a holocust survivor and will be 80 years old this year. She married the first man she met in Canada and when their first daughter was born she would get "antsy" when she went off to kindergarten. She went on some medication for her nerves but a friend of hers got her off them and she started to run with them instead. She has never looked back. 4 sixty km walks and 75 marathons later this little dynamo with her neon flowered pants is still walking for a cure. For the record, I took probably 8 Advil on Saturday and already had three before we caught up to her on Sunday. Way to go Sylvia, you are quite the inspiration.
So were are on our way to lunch and I see a sign that gives me energy..." one day as a team we will turn these ribbons the other way around and it will become the sign of victory". Again, something I needed to see at just the right time. We are now at lunch and are making very good time. We are having lunch in a park and we are looking for our "peeps" and we can not find them. No problem...maybe they are catching a bite to eat themselves after answering to our every whim all weekend. I am little concern though because they have not called but I do not say anything to Pat and Tanis. So we finish our lunch and off we start again. Francine is doing an excellent job of letting us know the different areas of the city which is very interesting. At one of our rest stops there is a podium with medals and it looks like the Olympic podiums. So of course the three of us get up on it and hopefully soon I will include pictures of this. It is about this time that we hear from our "peeps" on my cell. It is Patti and she is calling from the police station. This is where one of my mother traits has been handed down to me. Worry. If I know that people are coming up to the house or cottage and they are late they have to call me otherwise I worry about them. I know everything is fine...I just like to hear them tell me that. I get it from my Mom. It drove me nuts when I was 16 but over the years I see now how smart she got! So, my heart skips a beat because I automatically assume that driving around Montreal has caught up with them and they were in a fender bender. That is not quite exactly the story.
Life lessons. It does not matter how old you are I believe you will always be learning life lessons. Saturday night was a life lesson for all of us. After our peeps picked us up on Saturday we went to the valet of the hotel we were staying at emptied out the car of our junk and gave them the keys to park it. Except we left the GPS or Alice in the car. Valet parking...it should not be a problem. WRONG. Sunday morning when we got it the car Alice was gone and the ironic thing was that after leading them right to Schwartz and Main on the Main...Alice had enough and did not work again afer that. However, she was now gone. Here is the life lesson...even in valet parking DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING IN THE CAR. I have done this a hundred times over the years and have left my purse, computer, cell phone etc in the car thinking it was "extra" safe because of the valet parking. Life lesson.. I will not do that again. So of course the "peeps" felt absolutely horrible about this and were sincerely afraid for their job security. They were hoping to get this all cleared up with the hotel while we were walking and they would be able to meet us later.
That is when they called from the police station. It seems they could not speak to anyone at the hotel until they filed a police report. Ok, now this is when it really gets good. You may want to re-read Thursday in Montreal before you read on. So here is my understanding of how the conversation went at the police station.
Peeps...we are here to file a report for a stolen GPS
Police...OK. Which one of you owns the car?
Peeps...it is a rental
Police...do you have the paper work?
Peeps....yes, it is right here
Police...which one of you are Mari-Jayne Woodyatt?
Peeps...neither of us. She rented the car and is walking 60 kms this weekend.
Police...so who are you?
Peeps...we are friends who are helping them out and we are driving the car. We are the "second drivers" on the car.
Police...where is Mari-Jayne Woodyatt and why are you driving this car? (He is now thinking he may have some car theives reporting a stolen GPS system!)
Peeps...Weekend to End Breast Cancer...we wanted to settle this up while she is walking
Police...so where is the Buick Alure parked?
Peeps...what???? (nervous laughter)
Police...the paperwork here says you have rented a Buick
Peeps...(nervous laughing hysteria breaks out) yeah, this is funny. When MARI-JAYNE orginally rented this car they had it as a Buick but that would not hold Pat and Tanis' overnight luggage bag so we are driving an Impala instead.
Police...Ok let's just recap. You are here to report a stolen GPS that is rented not under your name... and the paper work you are showing me is for a car you are not driving. Is this correct?
Peeps...(in a small voice) Yes. Honest.
Police...Ok then. Show me the paperwork for the GPS giving me the serial number
Peeps...we don't have any
Police...you are driving a car that is not a Buick that you have not rented and you don't have any paper work for the GPS you are now reporting as stolen?
Peeps...Ah yup, you pretty much have the full picture now.
Police...Ok...laughing...please fill out these forms....
To protect the innocent I will not name names but it appears that my "worry" about their driving in Montreal did not go unfounded. Now my "worry" was not originally about their driving but rather because of the reputation that Montreal drivers have. Well, apparently the Montreal drivers were not part of this. At one point, one of our peeps is driving the other one is studying the map to see where we are. As they are studying the map the driver says "Oh S***T"...the navigator looks up only to discover they are on a two lane bridge that is one way...THEY ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY. So as the horns honk and people let them know their mistake they only can go one way and that is along the bridge to the end to have the chance to turn around. Tanis, Pat and I are howling when we hear this. But alas, it gets better. The same driver and same navigator are once again driving and reading the map and the driver says...I don't think I am on the right road"...the navigator says "yes we are going the right way" and the response from the driver is..."no I am not on the right road because I am on the BIKE PATH"...I am still laughing as I type this. A silver IMPALA going down a BIKE PATH!!! Trust me when I say these bike paths were not wide. There are huge trees on one side and concrete posts on the other and they would barely fit the widith of a compact never mind an IMPALA!! Oh my god I laughed so hard. Then...my cheeks almost exploded because our driving peep not only admitted this once but twice!! Yes folks, twice the Impala was driving down a bike path. And they say the Montreal drivers are crazy. At least their cyclists are safe.
So all of this happened in one morning...police station, wrong way on bridge and twice down a bicycle path!! And I thought we were working hard!
In Toronto, once you see the windmill by the Ex you know you are close. In Montreal it is seeing the roof of the "Big Owe". The distance in both instances is deceptive though. You think you are just around the corner but you are actually probably 8 kms away. So we see the roof and we are excited. At our last stop station before the end is it at 4kms. The three of us were tired but good. However, our friends Joseph and Karen, well, she was not doing too well. She is losing some toe nails and her feet are really giving her problems. We see Joseph first and ask how they are doing and he tells us about Karen. We see her on the lawn in the park on her back with her arm over her eyes. As we walk up we can see she crying. I am not telling you this to embarass her but rather to let you know what people go through for these walks. Joseph and Karen are another couple who are doing all the walks that I have mentioned earlier in the blog. We walk over to her and give her some words of encouragement and tell her we will be waiting for her at the finish. Well, let me tell you...sure enough she and Joseph finished the walk and she walked through and finished despite the obvious pain she was in. It was a special momemt to see them at the end.
As we leave Karen at the rest station, Tanis and I are convinced that after a short while we are less than 2kms away when we see our peeps yelling encouragement to the walkers and hanging out of the car. We are so happy to see them. I say to one of the peeps "we must be less than 2kms" hopefully...will that did not last for long because our peep replies "nope you are still 3kms away" well I guess the look on my face was crestfallen because as our peeps are driving away the one turns to the other and says..."I guess I should not of said that". Now, I can laugh about it. Two weeks later. Just kidding peep. However our spirits were soon lifted by this incredibly enthusitic cop who was driving his car the wrong way up the street with lights flashing and blaring over the loud speaker "Bye Bye Miss American Pie" and after the crushing news from our peeps his music and energy is just what we needed. Now that was a Montreal driver. Ok....he is a cop.
Finally, there it is. Olympic Stadium. People lined up clapping at us...yelling BRAVO....BRAVO....and then it hits me...hard. Pat and I have done it. 3 in a row. Back in May I did not think it was that big of a deal but I now realize the numbers. 180 km's in six days over a three week period. 360 km's walked since the first weekend in June...done in 12 days over two months. I now might be able to say to myself...maybe one day hopefully soon this will make a difference and it is just not for me but I can actual feel all of you with me. My "peeps, my friends who have walked with us in Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal and all of you who reached into your pockets and donated to this cause. You are all walking down the ramp with me into Olympic Stadium. The cities I have seen in this amazing country, the people that I have met along the way... and you. My feet have never felt as light...and my step has never been better. WE ARE ALL walking into this stadium that hosted the world 30 years ago and said...Welcome to Canada. You are in the best country in the world. I hope you have a sense of what I was feeling because all of you are so much a part of this. So the three of us dance our way down the ramp to the incredible reception that awaits us. A friend of mine put it best when they said that the people of Quebec are proud of their emotions. I think that is exactly correct. They are proud of their emotions and love to celebrate life. This was very apparent when we stayed for the closing ceremonies. The roar and applause that a couple of thousand people generated in that stadium sent chills up my spine. It will be a memory that I will never forget.
Thank you Montreal and to the people who live there. You have a fantastic city. I gotta say though...LOOK OUT TORONTO WE ARE BRINGIN' IT ON HOME AND I CAN'T WAIT!
To my Mom and Joanne...you are my courage and inspiration.
With love and thanks,
M.J.
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