Category: Treatment

July 2025 Update

Posted in Retirement, Treatment10 Comments
Health Update

My apologies again for the dearth of updates, but thankfully, my journey with cancer has become rather boring! My CT scans have gone from every three months to four, and my brain MRIs from every three months to every six – both signs that my immunotherapy treatment has been very effective. To recap, I started with 13 tumours/lesions – 10 in the brain, one in a lymph node, one in an adrenal gland, and one in a lung. The one in my lung is still visible but doctors think it is inactive. The rest are just scar tissue. Can’t complain about that result. I’m continuing monthly treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital, which consists of a few hours for blood tests and review by the oncologist, and a 45-minute IV treatment the next day, and of course, periodic CTs and MRIs – definitely not a hardship! Just have to keep working to recover my stamina as it’s notably lacking.

Recently, my oncologist reported that recent studies indicate people (like me) who have responded well to the treatment have a 90% chance of living 10 years. When you factor in that this treatment is relatively new, with limited long-term data, I’m definitely going to assume this is a minimum survival rate. LOL.

Family Update
Mary Eleanor Stephens 1933-2025

And I’m hoping I’ve inherited my parents’ long-life genes. My mother passed away this past New Year’s Eve, aged 91. While she passed peacefully, her last few years were challenged by dementia and the fragility of her body. She insisted she no longer wanted a funeral, as none of her friends were still alive to come. I had to gently remind her that funerals weren’t really FOR her – they were ABOUT her, but they were FOR us. She begrudgingly agreed, so we held a “celebration of life” reception attended by about 75 people, including the friend who set my parents up on a blind date, 70 years before!

John Franklin Stephens

My father had been living on his own (while my mother was in a nursing home) in the rather large “ancestral” home built by my great-great-grandfather circa 1869. Being a rather social type, he decided to move into a year-old seniors home just up the road in Brighton. He describes it like being on a cruise ship without a pool, and it IS very nice. And at 92, he continues to do all kinds of online research for and about people. His latest project is about the people who owned the farm on which the seniors home was built – Russian aristocrats who managed to escape after the 1917 revolution and had various adventures before settling down in Brighton.

The Valleau House, built c. 1869 by my great-great-grandfather, Cornelius Valleau, descendant of Loyalists who settled Adolphustown in 1784.
New Family Member
Apollo (left) and Zeus (right) in one of the rare moments when they weren’t wrestling!

I’m pleased to announce that Apollo now has (a sometimes annoying) little brother appropriately named Zeus 😉 That said, I’m not quite sure what made me think getting a new puppy was a good idea… Zeus is now 6 months old, and Apollo will be 14 years old in August. Despite the fact that one just wants to play (whenever he’s not sleeping) and the other is so over playing with anyone, I think they might be starting to work out how to survive together (the photo at right and the one at the top of this post are definitely misleading!) Some of you will remember Apollo (who, as a pupp,y looked very much like Zeus) coming into our Ministry of Culture office and occasionally marking his territory when he wasn’t sleeping under my desk.

Not sure if it’s a pro or con, but at this point, Zeus is a little too chaotic to walk together with Apollo, which means twice as many walks for me – good for building stamina, I guess, but in this heat not the most pleasant undertaking…

The “Peoples” of Forest Hill Village

And totally not related to my cancer journey – as many of you know, I live in a four-story walk-up in Forest Hill Village on Spadina north of St Clair. Luckily, I’m on the lower level, so only a few steps to worry about. For my heritage related friends, the building, like the others around it, was built in the 1920s when Forest Hill was still a stand-alone village outside of the City of Toronto. And while hundreds of people walk over it every week, there is a manhole cover in the sidewalk near my building stamped 1927! I’m already planning a birthday party in 2027 LOL.

Since I spend a lot of time walking dogs (and some occasional shopping) in my neighbourhood, I usually pass lots of people depending on the time of day and while waiting for them to do their business (the dogs, not the people!) I have lots of time to observe them (the people, not the dogs!) While out for dinner with neighbours last week, we agreed that many can be grouped in certain categories.

  • The Housewives of Forest Hill (HOFH) – These are mostly younger or trying to stay young, women in tight-fitting workout clothing, coming to or going from the nearby gym to their giant SUVs, most often with earbuds in, listening to…well, who knows. They rarely make eye contact and really only interact with others of their ilk. Apollo and I passed two HOFH just the other day and overheard one telling the other, “We’ve been planning our honeymoon for Australia and Fiji in December.” Maybe I’m just jealous (not really!)
  • Students – Bishop Strachan School is at the end of my block, and Upper Canada College is a few blocks further. That means three times a day, there are “hordes” of students walking to or from the subway or into the Village for lunch. They are usually loud and a bit rambunctious but generally polite, and at least they aren’t stealing hubcaps or cars or worse 😉 Of course, it’s much more peaceful this time of year with just a few involved with both schools’ summer camp programs.
  • School Staff – Clearly, there are lots of teachers and admin staff also coming to and fro from both BSS and UCC, either in the morning, afternoon, or just to grab a coffee in the village. When I was still working, I’d often pass them in the opposite direction on my way to or from the subway. Many have learned the dogs’ names and stop to acknowledge them (just the dogs, of course.)  Several years ago, one of the teachers invited Jazz and Apollo to her retirement party in the staff lounge. I tagged along just, well…because. I watched some of the younger staff get married and now drop their kid(s) off at the daycare across the street.
  • Daycare Parents – There are two daycares located at the end of my block and on almost all my dog walk routes. These parents are usually preoccupied with getting their kiddies out of their car seats and into the daycare – or, of course, the reverse in the afternoons. They are pleasant enough, although they usually are only chatting with other daycare parents. The most we get is “Oh look at the puppy – isn’t he cute?” I smile at them, but clearly I’m just the supporting cast…
  • Domestic Staff – The multi-million dollar homes that start at the end of my block employ plenty of nannies and housekeepers who are almost exclusively Filipino. (The short bus route from St Clair West subway up Spadina to Eglinton and back is often referred to as the “nannie express.”) They are much friendlier than the HOFH, usually smiling and often saying good morning. One has been saying hello for probably 15 years or more and knows my previous and current dogs’ names. There are also school cleaning staff we pass on that last walk on the night as they head to the subway – again always pleasant even at the end of a late shift.  I sometimes feel they are invisible, particularly to the HOFH.
  • Neighbours with Dogs – Anyone who has dogs knows that you often end up getting to “know” other dog owners in your neighbourhood, and I’m no exception. That’s assuming your dogs get along – or at least won’t attack each other while you’re chatting away and sharing neighbourhood gossip (I admit it!) Sometimes it’s just a pleasant wave to the other side of the street if your dogs don’t play nicely together. And their is sharing both the sadness of losing a pet, and the joy of getting a new one.
  • The Plurality – The largest “group” are just those out for a walk or heading into the Village for refreshments or ice cream. Several call my dogs by name. At the minimum, it’s a smile and a good morning. They are usually older (I’ll leave that undefined) and I’d guess often retired. They always make the sometimes tedious walks a more pleasant experience.

There are a few people who don’t fall into any of the above, obviously. During the school year, there is a friendly crossing guard in front of BSS who always says hi to whichever dog I have at the time and unsuccessfully tried to give my picky Apollo a treat the first few times we met. He also shared that he recently downloaded an app to identify the birds in the area by their songs, which I subsequently downloaded and love (“Merlin” from Cornell University.)

There is the “collector” who weekly wheels his shopping cart on an amazingly long route to collect beer cans and wine bottles to return for the deposits. He’s a pleasant fellow who is also mostly invisible in such an affluent neighbourhood. I always make of point of saying good morning.

Lately, there is the Bank of Montreal advisor (we have FIVE banks in two Village blocks!) whose office window is level with the sidewalk and Zeus often sits looking at him when he’s at his desk, and he waves back! We’ve even gone in to meet him in person and he’ll stop to say hi on his way to and from work.

They often say that Toronto is a city of villages, and I think that’s true. But any village is also made up of people – bankers or shopkeepers, teachers and pharmacists who know you by name (sadly LOL!) People just living their lives, and those who might well be labelled as characters. I’d probably be considered an extrovert (although I might argue that it’s situational), but isn’t life richer for engaging in your village, wherever it is?

Last Word
Not enhanced!

When I’m not walking dogs or philosophizing about villagers, I’m still serving as Director and Archivist of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada’s Regimental Museum and Archive. Working on updating museum policies, responding to research requests, and adding names of soldiers to our public-facing Collections Database (with 7,100 names so far!) And spending time in Brighton, which is a short drive to the attractions of Prince Edward County (friends own The Old Third Winery with an awesome past bar if you’re ever down that way) and buying lottery tickets for that elusive dream of becoming a millionaire.

Thank you to everyone for your support during my journey, and I wish you all a safe and happy summer!

John

 

 

April 2024 Update

Posted in Treatment10 Comments

I’m not dead yet! (Yes the usual Monty Python reference although the correct quote from the film is simply “I’m not dead.”) Regardless, I can’t believe how long it’s been since I last posted.

In fact, I’m doing pretty well after almost 2 1/2 years of treatment. Recent CT and MRI scans have identified only minor specs of the 10 lesions I had originally, the tumours in my lung and adrenal gland no longer show up, and the one in my lymph node continues to shrink. There is a new something that shows up in my lymph node but it is deemed “indeterminate” i.e. they can’t say if it is cancer or not but the doctors don’t seem concerned at this point and will just keep an eye on it. Another set of CT scans in 3 months and another MRI in 4 months (since I’m doing so well lol.)

My once-a-month immunotherapy treatment will continue to the end of 2024 at least and then we’ll reassess whether there is any need to continue. The treatment side effects continue to be minor – dry mouth, an occasional rash, fatigue and muscle degradation. At my request, I was referred to a kinesiologist who has given me an exercise program to combat the muscle issue.

I was struck the other day when another well-meaning friend/colleague/acquaintance told me I was looking really good. I realize there was a point when I wasn’t looking so great, my face all ballooned up because of steroids and having lost all my hair from the initial radiation but still, nobody ever said “you’re looking really good” BEFORE I got cancer…LOL. Does that count as a silver lining?? I guess one just takes it where one can get it 😉

When I’m at one of my numerous hospital visits, I see or pass dozens of others coming, going, or in many cases waiting, and I wonder what their stories are, what their prognoses are, and who the people are there supporting them – spouses, children, parents, friends? Many are not in good shape – far worse than I’ve been in – and I’m reminded to be thankful for my excellent care at Princess Margaret’s Cancer Hospital and through no actions of my own, have responded well to the treatment – at least to date, and for the support of my friends and family. As May is coming up and it is cancer awareness month, I’d invite you to donate to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

I recently had another birthday (celebrated by dinner with friends and then attending my 4th performance over the years of my favourite musical Les Mis) and I realized how much my views on birthdays have…evolved.  I suppose I looked forward to them when I was a wee tad (OK I was probably never called “wee”), then as a teenager, you really just want to be older – old enough to drive, to drink, become an “adult.” For the next couple of decades, birthdays are “all right” I guess – perhaps an excuse for a party but not really all that exciting. Then there comes a stage where birthdays just mark getting older and older and you’d just be happy not to make a big deal of them. AND they seem to come around sooner and sooner – how’s that possible? 🙂 I’m lucky enough to still have both parents alive at 91 years of age for which I’m very grateful, but as many of you will know, growing old isn’t always pretty or easy. Weakening bodies mean health challenges can pile on top of one another and we are blessed if we can keep our minds sharp. But after a life-threatening diagnosis, one can’t help but appreciate birthdays again. It reminds you to be grateful and the importance of making the most of each day. None of us know when our time will come but I think for most of our lives we take that for granted – until we can’t ignore it. I doubt I’ll make it to 91 but if not I need to keep reminding myself to live today as if it is my last!

On a less deep note, I’m continuing my volunteer work with The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archive which keeps me busy – mostly from home. (Side note today is the 164th Regimental birthday of Canada’s oldest and finest continuously serving rifle regiment – CHEERS!)

I very much appreciate keeping in touch with former work colleagues (and them keeping in touch with me) and have even dropped by their offices from time-to-time to catch up. That said, I can’t say I’m sorry to be retired!!

I recently attended the Canadian Museum Conference in Niagara Falls, and this past week has been busier than usual: on Sunday a memorial service for a friend who passed away some months ago, on Monday blood work and oncologist appointments; on Tuesday a chiropractor appointment, the immunotherapy treatment, and a co-chairing the Toronto Military Curators network meeting in the evening; on Wednesday grave marker dedications at two cemeteries for recently discovered Fenian Raid casualties (the photo above); and Thursday evening at Casa Loma reorganizing the archive storage situation; today was fairly quiet but Saturday is a Regimental Senate meeting. And of course, Apollo taking me for a walk three times a day.  No excuse to be bored!!

Hopefully, it won’t be several months before I post again!

Cheers

An Anniversary of Sorts

Posted in Treatment13 Comments

So December 15th is the one-year anniversary of my tripping while walking the dog which gave me cancer.

That’s my joke at least….sort of LOL. As you may recall I DID trip while walking the dog and landed on my ribs. When I went to the ER, they did an x-ray and said “your ribs are fine but you have a tumour in your lung.” And of course, after going back the next day for more scans, the cancer was in more than just my lung.

Out of curiosity, a few weeks ago, I asked my oncologist if he could estimate how long I had cancer before being diagnosed. I didn’t expect much from him – and that’s about what I got hahaha. He said there were too many variables and so much they still didn’t know about melanoma. It could have been a few months, but equally, it might have been in my body for a few years – essentially dormant – until something triggered it to grow and spread. I mean it really doesn’t matter at this point but I hoped to understand a bit more about what I was dealing with and I suppose I did.

On another note, I had my second haircut since my hair has grown back -for whatever that’s worth 😛

Medical Update

I don’t think I could be more vaccinated right now – my pneumonia vaccine, my fifth COVID vaccine, and my flu shot (and yes I had the shingles vaccine a few years ago) – so I’m feeling more confident in socializing a bit more than I have been. That said I’m spending Christmas with my parents in Brighton (just celebrated my Dad’s 90th birthday!!) so I’ll probably hold off on all the partying until the new year just to be on the safe side.

The results of an MRI and a couple of CT scans came back this week and again the results were pretty positive. Several tumours shrunk again, some no longer showed up, and I think one was no change. Two had slight increases (like 0.2 cm) but the doctors said that happens and weren’t concerned at this point.  My immunotherapy treatments have been reduced from every two weeks to every four which I’m quite happy with as long as the results are still positive 🙂  The next treatment is tomorrow and then I’m good til the new year.

And speaking of next year, I’m wishing you all very happy holidays, a happy new year, and my thanks for all your support over the past 12 months!

John

Steroids, High Tea, Easter, Medal Presentation, and Saying Goodbye

Posted in Treatment5 Comments

Steroids – Ugh

You gotta love steroids…..sigh. They do have a job to do but they also come with side effects – in particular moon face. You know that puffy marshmallow face and neck look? And swollen feet and ankles. Even swollen fingers. I mean none of that is painful – just a bit awkward I suppose and since I’m still wearing a mask most of the time, the moon face isn’t all that obvious. There’s also increasing fatigue (lots of naps during the day) and weakening of muscle which I am struggling with a bit.

That all said, the steroid was working to reduce the liver enzymes – until it wasn’t LOL. So they upped the dose over the Easter weekend (I took that over being re-admitted to hospital!) and added another medication to “boost” the steroid. The last blood lab work showed the enzymes coming down again so I guess all that puffiness is worth it. And anyone who has been on steroids knows you can’t just quit them cold turkey so they are now working to wean me off them. That will probably still take several weeks and then we can think about restarting some immunotherapy treatments again 🙂

Easter and Birthday Dinner

I was determined not to let that all get in the way of the plans we’d made. Saturday of the Easter weekend my sisters and I all went to Brighton for Easter dinner with my parents (and a spice cake for my birthday on Monday.) Luckily they chose to just put 1 and not 65 candles on the cake!!

High Tea

Sunday was much more formal as I treated my sisters to High Tea at Casa Loma as a thank you for all their help and support.  It was certainly the classiest meal I’ve had in a long time!!

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Honoured to be Honoured

The following Sunday (which had the best weather we’d seen in 2022 so far), the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario arrived at the front step of my apartment building to present me with the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers on behalf of the Governor-General of Canada.

“For nearly a decade, John Stephens has been the Curator responsible for the oversight of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archive. His years of dedication have promoted veteran outreach by assisting members in researching their relatives who have served and enabled the regiment to share their stories with the public.”

The nomination was made by members of my museum team (in 2019 no less) and of course this recognition needs to be shared with our whole museum volunteer team, the Museum Board, the QOR Trust Fund, the Regimental Senate, and the senior leadership teams of the regiment over the past 10 years. I was pleased that many of these members were able to attend the ceremony along with friends, family and some former work colleagues.

Saying Goodbye

As I’ve mentioned before my 12-year-old Schnauzer Jazz had been staying with her brother Apollo with my sister’s family in Pickering since I first went into the hospital on Christmas Eve. She was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago which I’ve been treating with twice-daily insulin shots. She eventually developed cataracts which severely limited her sight but she seem to adapt well.

Cuddle time

Recently however she wasn’t eating well or sometimes not at all, which made it difficult to control her glucose levels. We decided she needed to see the vet which is near my place. After two days and nights at the clinic on IV hydration and some special feeding, she seemed to be doing much better. She came back to my place for the weekend and was clearly doing better on Saturday. On the Sunday of the medal ceremony though she was eating little and throwing up what she did which continued on Monday. When we arrived at our next vet appointment on Tuesday, they had the results of blood tests taken the previous week which confirmed she now had pancreatitis and extremely high levels of liver and kidney enzymes (to which I could relate!) And because of the difficulties in controlling her insulin levels, she was also in or at least approaching diabetic ketoacidosis.

Unfortunately, the veterinarian had nothing to offer as treatment, and only another pet owner can really appreciate the decision with which I was left.  And while there really wasn’t any decision, it was still one of the hardest to make. We had some cuddle time (above) while the vet finished some other surgery, and I very much appreciated the efforts of the Wychwood Animal clinic to make this difficult time as comfortable as possible.

I first met Jazz when she was two days old. She was born on December 30 in a litter from my friend Phil’s dogs Lucky and Lilo, and I was there for a New Year’s eve party. They were all black and barely had their eyes open and fit nicely into one hand.

Five months later I’d been convinced that I should get a dog so went over to Phil’s to check out the puppies that hadn’t been adopted yet. As I sat on the couch, Jazz jumped up, and circled around a few times as dogs do, before curling up and going to sleep on my lap. Another decision that was far easier to make as Jazz had obviously chosen me!

She was the sweetest dog and we had 12 great years together.

Dogs, Enzymes, and a Conspiracy Theorist

Posted in Treatment12 Comments

For the three weeks after my second immunology treatment, things were going pretty well. With few side effects, my dog-sitting sister and I decided I could probably try having my furry friends back home. For the past two months I’d wanted to be able to focus on my own health (as a reminder, Jazz has diabetes which requires insulin shots twice a day and has cataracts making her almost blind.)  But of course, I missed them so on Wednesday evening, March 17th they were chauffeured back home from Pickering. They were certainly as excited to see/smell me as I was to have them back for cuddles!

This was the day after treatment number 3 and on Friday I went for the usual blood lab check and doctor consultation to make sure everything was as it should be.  But of course, it wasn’t!

“I’m sorry to tell you that your liver enzymes have skyrocketed and we’ll need to admit you to the hospital immediately so we can give you intravenous steroids to start bringing the enzymes down. I’ll be right back but I’m afraid you’ll need to make arrangements for your dogs again.”

I’d mentioned the dogs coming home to him at my Monday appointment earlier in the week and he remembered LOL. Luckily Sue made it clear that if for any reason keeping them was an issue, they’d be happy to have them back so after less than 48 hours they were back in Pickering and I’d been admitted as an inpatient to Toronto General. I did get taken from Princess Margaret to TGH via the tunnel under University Ave which was kinda cool.

Looking East from my TGH room at night.

I didn’t actually have any real side effects at this point so after getting pumped with the steroid each morning, I’d go for a walk in the afternoon if the weather was nice. One day around hospital row, another day up to the University of Toronto, and another down to my old – and no longer going to be new – office at 400 University Avenue. There Emma, Ian and some others were struggling to get the space ready for the division’s “return to work” future. Was certainly nice to chat with some familiar faces.

Being able to get out and about also allowed me to get some respite from “conspiracy theorist guy” (CTG). In a room that eventually had five beds filled (things were still pretty tight in the hospital for both beds and staff) I was lucky enough to get a window that even had a reasonable view.  But of course, the beds are only separated by thin curtains and for four of the five days I was there, CTG was on his phone explaining global child sacrifices being made by the world’s elite, Trudeau wanting to murder everyone, Hilary Clinton’s pedophile ring in the basement of a pizza place, chips in the vaccine and all the forces against him in making some hemp business succeed.

Oh and all the people that were helping him cure his cancer with treatments that were clearly outside anything that was generally accepted by the medical world at the moment. I mean I suppose it’s not completely impossible my oncologists were purposely leading me astray because of big pharma…but I really wasn’t convinced.  That’s despite listening to him about 18 hours a day on his cell phone – even my earbuds couldn’t block him out 😦

When they figured I was ready to just take an oral dose of the steroid, they were ready to send me home but on my last day, they also scheduled a CT scan. The results were pretty positive. All the tumours and lesions had shrunk – some as much as 50% – so it proved that so far at least, the radiation and three combination immunotherapy doses had been doing what they were supposed to. And although I have to be weaned off the steroid before we can do any more treatments, the earlier treatments will continue to have an effect on the cancer cells while that happens.  So getting that news was definitely worth 4 days of listening to CTG.

The steroid is slowly bringing down the liver enzymes but the side effects of fatigue and weakness and swollen feet are definitely more pronounced. So they gave me another med to counter the side effects of the steroid – we’ll see how that works out <chuckle>. And now that the weather is nicer – well at least above freezing most days – it’s harder to find an excuse NOT to go for walk I guess LOL.

Lastly, this past weekend my sisters were again kind enough to both take me to and from Brighton to visit my parents. They were going anyway but still had to go out of their way to my place. And the dogs went too so I did get another two days of cuddle therapy which can never be a bad thing! And when I got dropped off at home again, and as much as they are very well cared for by my sister’s family, I’m pretty sure they wanted to come in and stay with me 😉

Total Brain Radiation

Posted in Treatment9 Comments

My apologies for the delay since my last post however as flagged in my first post, unexpected circumstances pop up and slow things down.

Total Brain Radiation

So while we awaited the results of the lung tumour biopsy, I was also referred to a brain oncologist for a consultation.  Sister Sue (RN) had the day off and offered to meet me at Princess Margaret Hospital as a second pair of ears. The consultant’s advice was to start five consecutive days of reasonably low dose radiation in order to halt the growth of the ten or so small tumours in my brain. There were a variety of potential side effects flagged including losing my hair, but they did not seem to outweigh the option of doing nothing.

They offered to let me take my mask home.

With the call made to proceed, they quickly (this was Thursday!) set up the treatments to start on Saturday. First, however, they needed to create a mask moulded to my face to which would keep my head locked in place during the treatment. Luckily they were able to do this while we waited.

Now the bureaucratic part started LOL. I had been transported to TWH to PMH by a transfer ambulance while my sister met me there. I was dropped off in time for my 9:30 am consultation and by the time we completed everything it was just before noon. Reporting back to the transportation coordinator we were told my return was booked for 4:30 pm.  Nobody wants to sit around in a hospital doing nothing for another 4+ hours so my sister noted she was an RN and asked if she could just drive me the 10 MINUTE drive to TWH. Apparently, this was a highly unusual request and took almost 30 minutes to get a doctor’s approval/release…sigh.

Treatments

Not me!

The five treatments were virtually identical: transfer ambulance staff pick you up from TWH, and take you to the treatment room in the second basement level at PMH. (While their vehicles had little suspension, the attendants were all very friendly and attentive!) When the six-inch doors to the treatment room opened, the low lighting, soothing music, palm tree wallpaper, and fake window of a beach scene, were clearly meant to make this a relaxing experience lol.  You are transferred onto the radiation table, had your radiation mask locked to it, and then listened for the chimes to signal the count down as the technician slipped out and the door slid shut – the same Westminister chime used in the Old City Hall clock tower opposite our offices at 401 Bay St LOL

The machine whirs around your head for about ten minutes and then you’re done! And they pack you back up and return you to Toronto Western.

Sacrifice

One afternoon during these treatments, I was reading my book while a member of the housekeeping staff was changing the bedding on my roommate’s bed. When she was done, she asked if I wanted mine changed too and I gladly accepted.  I stood back out of the way as she quickly stripped the sheets and replaced them. The bottom sheet was fitted but the top sheet required what both my mother and the military had taught me were “hospital corners” and when the Filipino-born housekeeper started to make the folds, I chuckled and said out loud “ahhh…..hospital corners.”

She smiled and told me that 16 years ago when she first arrived in Canada, she had no idea what “hospital corners” were because in the Philipines she didn’t have a bed per see – just mats on the floor. She mentioned a son who was just 6 years old when she came to Canada and how it had taken 5 years to bring him over as well.  All before the era of instant text messaging and video calling. I couldn’t help but be moved by her story which she shared without any bitterness – if anything with appreciation.