Memory's Story
Memory and I were married on June 26th, 2004 at St. Joseph’s Church in Calgary, Alberta. Memory looked stunning that day and I was so proud to become her husband. For our honeymoon, we went to Greece and a short time later we took a trip to San Francisco.
Afterward, we found out Memory was pregnant. This was an amazing time because our lives were about to change for the better. Throughout her pregnancy, Memory was glowing and we anticipated the arrival day by trying to pick out girl’s and boy’s names, buying furniture, painting the baby's room, and hanging pictures in the house. On June 15th, 2005 our first and only child, Diamond Ann, was born.
Two months later, Memory started to have health problems and on September 15th, she was diagnosed with widespread and life-threatening cancer. Memory’s disease, officially known as GTN, is a rare pregnancy-related cancer. In November, Memory started therapy and suffered through many treatment complications and life-threatening events.
By December, she was in remission but a few days before Christmas we got the news that the cancer had returned. By January 2006, treatment failed to be effective and the doctors moved on to treatment never before offered for that type of cancer. Memory went into remission for a second time in April and that month we also bought a new house in the community of Sunnyside.
By summer, she started to feel great and healthy for the first time in months. We decided to go on a 3-week vacation. We spent our first and last family holiday in B.C. and Alberta. We started in Vancouver, then traveled to the shores of Casa Loma in Kelowna, and finished in Canmore. At the end of our holiday, we found out that the cancer had returned. Surgeries and treatments commenced once more. Through sheer will power and strength, she did everything possible to battle cancer, but on January 9th, 2007, Memory passed away.
Memory was truly a miracle in her fight against cancer. She fought every day so that one day she could put it behind her and have a normal life with her baby and family. Her strength and case will not be forgotten. It will serve as an avenue towards new treatment options for others who suffer from cancer. Her life will save other moms in the future and there will be justice in the fight against cancer. I hope never to see another mother be so sick that she cannot take care of her baby. Memory’s body may have failed, but her spirit continues today and will stay with us forever.
Many people have asked us how we coped with a baby and a sick mother. Our common answer was Diamond. True to her name, she is precious, brilliant, glittery, hard and full of grit that pushes her to focus on her needs. Without Diamond, there is no way that I could have gotten through that nightmare. Diamond’s amazing little personality can fill a room in a matter of seconds and she loves the attention. Our daughter’s little miracles of learning how to talk, sign, crawl and walk kept everyone going through the tough times. I know in my heart little Di will grow up to be a princess with the most amazing personality and determination because of her Mom’s legacy. She is the miracle Memory has left behind, and I am truly grateful to Memory for that. Though Diamond has lost her Mom, she has gained an angel in Heaven.
