Twenty years ago the best friend of my father, Stan Croll, was diagnosed with cancer; the disease progressed and towards the end he was admitted to Ian Anderson House in Oakville. My father, an Oakville resident, visited him regularly and was so impressed by the care given that he kept going to Anderson House after his friend had passed away. Stan became a faithful volunteer there doing whatever odd job needed to be done and chatting to the residents. He believed in Anderson House and the ministry it provided to both the residents and their families; indeed my mother often joked that far from being retired, he now had a new job!
My father volunteered there for years but was himself diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 2007. Even so, Stan continued his volunteer work until he was no longer able to do so. As with his best friend, the disease progressed and like his friend, he too was admitted to Anderson House. It was then that my family and I truly appreciated what Anderson House does and what it means. Up to that time my family had been on the “giving side” as it were; now we were on the “receiving side”. It is almost impossible to convey what my father’s being there meant to us as they not only provided exceptional care for my Dad but also for the rest of us as well. They made the seemingly impossible to cope with possible.
As a thirty year resident of Milton and a minister, I am well aware of the need for a hospice to serve the people of Milton and Halton Hills. It would truly be so wonderful if the families of our communities could receive the same wonderful care closer to home that my family received in our time of need. – Shawn C.
