Talking about the end of life for oneself or for a loved one generates strong emotions. Last Saturday at a gala fundraising evening for the Sunshine Coast Hospice Society, the speakers gave the respect and warmth that the subject deserves. They also added humour and the full house in the 450-seat Rockwood Pavilion took turns weeping and laughing.
“Death isn’t a problem to be solved,” said Hospice president Denis Fafard. “It’s a natural process.” He described the role of Hospice in providing compassionate care to the community as they have done for the past 30 years.
Renowned spoken word poet Shane Koyczan tailored his insightful material to the topic of dying. “We all have brushes with death,” he said. “Hospice allows you space to be with people you care about.”
Koyczan touched on many other topics in his talk, from dancing in his youth with a nun to describing the shooting stars that fell because too many wishes were placed on them. Life is just visiting hours, he reminded the crowd, and he followed up a touching ode to good friends with a comical piece that described a cat that had taken ownership of Koyczan’s beloved grandmother.
Author Kara Stanley and musician Simon Paradis teamed up on stage to describe Paradis’ struggle for life after a near fatal accident. Stanley read passages from her book, Fallen, about her own vigil in the long recovery for her husband from hospital back to his singing/song-writing self. Paradis was at ease on stage when playing his original songs that included The Road Home, a metaphor for his journey, and he had no trouble in getting the audience to join in on You Can’t Always Get What You Want, a Rolling Stones number from the sixties.
The society has another event coming up on Saturday, Sept. 23. Let’s Talk: Exploring End of Life Issues is offered at Roberts Creek School from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public is invited to lectures, panels and discussion on topics such as advance care planning and medical assistance in dying as well as workshops in the expressive arts. Registration and information is at 604-740-0475 or at www.coasthospice.com. Space in workshops is limited – see share-there.com for ticket information.
