After months of visiting her at Calgary’s big new cancer centre, it was time to travel to her funeral. I’m so fortunate to have had her as a friend for a very long time. What I have been most amazed at, when I reflect on her life, is how many times she adapted her career – even into retirement.
She was a dedicated and talented Registered Nurse, but an even more devoted mom. So when her fourth child was born, she stepped back from active hospital duty and took a part time role as a receptionist in a health clinic. She supplemented this with years of marketing home products, and her entrepreneurial spirit shone through an array of wares. From ladies’ fashions to nutritional products, her large circle of friends soon began to look and feel better! When she began winning awards and being flown to conferences, she became equally determined to share her marketing and business skills with anyone who was interested in trying their hand at it.
Once her kids were grown and making their own way in the world, she took on yet another new challenge. At an age when many of her peers were beginning to talk about retirement, she wrote and submitted a successful grant that opened the door to launch an Elder Abuse awareness and support campaign in her community. It truly blended her foundational interest in health and wellness, with her entrepreneurial approach to a project. After several successful years and important outreach, the grant money dried up and it was time to reinvent herself yet again.
She could have easily retired, but working never seemed a toil for her. She decided instead to become a certified travel agent, so she could help make people’s dreams come true. Her clients included a lot of seniors, who knew they could trust her with their care. She was perfect for this role. She loved helping people and she loved seeing new places, and her efforts supported her own travel plans. It was going swimmingly, until she was stopped by cancer.
It was clearly going to be something big that would finally make her stop, because many challenges along the way had failed to. When she found herself back in a hospital setting, on the receiving end this time, she continued to show everyone the way. Always forging her own path, she was determined to meet each day’s pains and indignities with grace. She counted her blessings and always found a silver lining throughout her life, no matter the challenge she was facing. She met her final days wearing bright colours, wrapped in a colourful blanket that her children had made for her, and insisting on a selfie with those who came by. It may be our last visit, she said pragmatically as she smiled for the camera. It was time to meet death and dying as only a calm and accomplished nurse can.
She never did experience a life in retirement that was free from work, but she found joy in each day she lived. Because she chose to.