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
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.