How she would have loved for him to live out his final days in our Residenc

2021-08-31

How she would have loved for him to wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside his window, peacefully watching as they fluttered around the feeders.  

How she would have loved for him to sleep peacefully at night, tucked in under a beautiful handmade quilt, after listening to the comforting voice of the nurse bringing him the snack he requested.

Unfortunately, Joy Osborne’s husband did not receive the gift of such incredible end-of-life care. Instead, he passed away in a hospital room before the Residence’s opening in 2010.  

Two of Joy’s friends, Lynda Burnham and Diane Laliberté, did however get to live out their final days with us, a little over three years ago. “When you walk its halls, you can feel just how special a place the Residence is. The bedrooms feel like home, everyone is so friendly…,”recalls Joy—and this is precisely the reason she decided to join the Walk to benefit the Residence on Sunday, September 12 at Parc Nature Les Forestiers de Saint-Lazare.

Of course, being a walking enthusiast, joining the Walk was an easy decision for Joy. In fact, during the winter of 2020, in an effort to fight off the loneliness of the confinement, Joy challenged herself to completing the equivalent of the distance between Saint-Lazare and Ottawa by walking in and around her home. A friend then suggested that, as part of her challenge, she raise money for a non-profit organization.

As fate would have it, Joy then came across an ad for the Residence’s Walk.

She decided to take part because it is her most fervent wish to ensure that others receive the same comforting care that provided peace to her friends at the end of their lives—a boundless humanity where no desire is too arduous when it comes to the well-being of our patients and their loved ones. 

“When it comes to patients and their loved ones, staff members are always ready to do everything it takes to make sure they are comfortable,” added Joy.