The past nineteen months have been a difficult journey, dealing with the ups and downs of medical diagnosis, treatment and ultimately hospice care. There is no question this road has been a character builder, or I would hope, has changed me in a positive, empathetic and caring way.
A week before Sam lost his battle with cancer, my sister, Kathryn Burke wrote a piece on her blog which reduced me to tears and not in a bad way. Her description of him was so accurate it was read at his funeral.
So what happens now, has been the question asked the most often and I answer honestly, I don’t know. Thankfully, there is a numbness which allows you to continue with the aftermath of the death of a loved one. While Kathryn spoke of the measure of the man, I’d like to address the measure of friends and family. Those who have been there holding my hand through the months of emotional highs and lows, the random acts of kindness that renewed my faith in human generosity and those that were able to make us laugh are permanently etched in my memory.
These memories will be the stepping stones which will allow me to face the world again, stronger, wiser and content in the fact that Sam is now pain free and at peace.
PS: And there is now a Toronto Maple Leaf fan in heaven…
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