Brenda (Canuck Place's Founder) and Lizzy (Pet Therapist).
Coming through the front door at Canuck Place there is an overwhelming aroma of "something" wonderful bubbling on the stove or baking in the oven - soup, stew, spaghetti ... pizza, fresh bread, cookies? What IS that? - it smells good and I want some.
Walking into the front hall, something else happens - a wave of nostalgia; joyful noises, welcoming images of activity, thumps and bumps, laughter and cheerful discourse. Children's voices (some debate about who won what), stuff being dropped, singing, and somewhere a TV or radio playing. Oops, eyes down, check the lay of the land for toys, play dough, watch that wheelchair around the corner. Lizzy, the resident pet therapist, rushes past on a mission - where did I leave that ball? (Why does one have that incredible urge to call out, "Hi Honey, I'm home"?)
There is an air of warmth and homey welcome that begins in the front hall. From the smiling volunteer at the reception desk, it continues into the kitchen where many hands are busy preparing the next meal, and out into the back yard where kids, pets, families, staff and volunteers are shooting baskets, playing road hockey, chatting, or doing "wheelies" around the garden. There is a prevailing sense of life and celebration inside and out at Canuck Place.
To walk into this great home is to re-live childhood memories of love, friendship, family, feeling safe and comforted. One senses that a way of living is being experienced here - not a way of dying.
Reprinted from the Canuck Place Diary - August, 1996 issue.
The huge stained glass mural above the main staircase.
Canuck Place is the only "stand alone" hospice for children facing life-threatening illnesses in North America. It is
housed in a beautifully restored Victorian mansion in the heart of Vancouver's exclusive Shaughnessy area.
All of the facilities (including individually decorated care rooms, huge playrooms, a large country kitchen, luxurious
parent quarters, a magnificent garden, special entertainment, and much more) are specifically designed to provide comfort
and care to children and their families during what is probably one of the most difficult periods in their lives. Melinda
spent the last few weeks of her life at Canuck Place. Canuck Place is funded by both corporate and private donations, and provides it's services at no charge to the families that it serves so well. It is located at 1690 Matthews Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6J 2T2 - (604) 731-4847