Two Calgary men pay touching tribute to their late wives' legacies
Two Calgary men are honouring their late wives' legacy this Mother's Day in a very touching way.
Both of them lost their partners to cancer, but they're working hard to make sure that their legacies live on.
Will Morlidge and Don Wood are bonded for life. Tragedy brought them together, when Morlidge lost his wife Rebecca to cancer in 2017, while Wood's wife Sherry died in 2020 of the same thing.
"First and foremost, it's dealing with the shock," said Wood, from the still-under-construction Calgary Cancer Centre. "I had a young son at that time. He would have been 11 at the time."
Morlidge said his wife didn't stop living once she got diagnosed with cancer.
"It was just something my wife had," he said. "But it didn't really stop us in anything. We did anything. We went anywhere."
But even after their passing, their memory lives on through a building.
"It was her goal to see this come to life," said Wood, "and to see especially the research piece and everybody housed all in one building."
But the Calgary Cancer Centre has a deeper meaning. As volunteers with the facility's patient and family advisory council, Morlidge and Wood provided input on the design and the services going into the facility.
Rebecca, it turns out, was one of the original founders of the volunteer group.
"I think the legacy for Rebecca is going to be not the fact that she advocated for her own health care, but the fact that she advocated for everyone's health care," Morlidge said.
Honouring the legacy of their wives hasn't been the only aspect of the duo's healing journey. So has giving their time to a building that will go on to help others.
"It's been kind of a calling, so to speak," Wood said. "So it's passionate and it makes you feel young again, and it makes you keep those happy memories.
"When I'm here," he said, "I have only happy memories."
The Calgary Cancer Centre will open in late 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.