A Journey of Love and Lasting Impact

Martine and her late husband, Danny, never stayed in one place for too long. Married for almost 20 years, the couple was always on the move, chasing a new adventure. “We went everywhere,” Martine says. “The Rocky Mountaineer Train Tour, Viking River Cruise, and Alaskan Cruise; we did it all.”

Their professional lives were also defined by travel. Danny worked as a Sprinkler Fitter and Martine as an Electrician, and they would constantly be moving from job to job. Then one day, they met on site.

“I remember I’m doing a fire alarm, and he comes in and kicks all the other electricians out. I say ‘sorry, but I’ve got work to do’,” Martine laughs. “Every morning, I would say ‘Hi’ and smile at him, and he would be so grumpy. So I said to his foreman, ‘Maybe if he weren’t so grumpy, he’d be cute,’ and I got his number.”

On one of their first trips together, the pair turned into a trio when they added a special travel companion.

“We went to New Brunswick for the first time, and went into the store, and there were all kinds of funny stuff there, including this little stuffed bee who laughs. I didn’t want to buy it because it was $20, but Danny bought it for me anyway, so this is Tykleb (Tickle Bee),” she says with a smile. “Tykleb goes everywhere with us on holiday. He always used to say, ‘Do you have Tykleb with you?’ Of course I did. We have photos of her on the beach, I have her under Niagara Falls, Tykleb is everywhere.”

Things abruptly stopped for them when Danny was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Living in Durham Region, part of Danny’s care would take place at the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre. He would receive a four-hour chemotherapy session every two weeks.

Throughout it all, they were in awe of the care they received.

“Amazing,” says Martine. “The staff here is amazing. He loved the care here, and he loved his doctor.”

After a courageous battle, Danny passed away in August, with his razor-sharp wit intact, surrounded by love, and listening to Gordon Lightfoot. But he wanted to ensure he gave back to the people who cared for him and Martine. That included a heartfelt $10,000 donation in support of cancer care at Lakeridge Health.

“Three months before he passed away, he asked me to look where to donate,” Martine remembers. “He wanted to give to Lakeridge because they looked after him. It’s what he wanted. My daughter and I also wanted to thank the staff, so we came back with bags of cookies and about 40 maple sugar pies,” she laughs. “It’s a little sad to me because sometimes they don’t know. When they don’t see the patient anymore, they don’t know if they’re OK. The staff become like family, so it was important for me to say thank you.”

Christmas will always be a special time in their household. Their tree is adorned with ornaments from the many places Martine and Danny visited.

“Instead of buying a t-shirt, we’d get an ornament,” she explains. “I put the tree up, but it was hard. We would always say, ‘Do you remember where that one came from?’ Not having that was hard. The whole tree is memories.”

“Danny got his Christmas wish last year, though,” Martine says with a smile. “His treatment started the second week of November, and the doctor said, ‘You might be able to eat for Christmas’. Christmas night? My daughter and I just looked at each other,” she laughs. “He went back twice for turkey, mashed potatoes and bread. He looked at me and said ‘I got my Christmas wish.”

Martine plans to continue honouring Danny’s wishes by seeing the world. Greece, Spain, Portugal and Churchill, Manitoba, to see the Polar Bears are all on the list. And their tiny travel companion is coming along for the ride.

“I’m going wherever he wanted to go that he couldn’t,” Martine says. “I think you only meet your soulmate one time in your life, and I think I did. So it’s important to me I do what he wanted. He’s coming with me, and Tykleb is coming too!”

Our Foundation is most grateful to Danny and Martine for their kindness, generosity, and support of cancer care in our community this holiday season.