4 — Friday, October 1, 1993 - North Shore News

A future lost to breast cancer

COLUMNISTS ARE supposed to be big, manly fellows. At
least if they’re men. But I read something this week that
made me break down and cry. It would have been uncon-
trollable crying, but that would only have alarmed the

children.

Few people can say they’ve ever
been in my dressing room, or
would care to.

I suspect those who have done
so 2re astonished to see that there
is only one photo there. And it’s
clearly not of my wife.

The photo is of a small, blond

; girl of 21.

Of course there were women at
that time, but they were widely
considered, including by

. themselves, to be much older than
2). ‘

She is wearing a long flowered

dress and a white blouse. Also an

apron — the photographer insisted

ona hasty picture, and she didn’t
have time to take it off. +

Her features are fine and regu-
lar: Her hair is short.

The picture doesn’t reveal the

‘lovely skin, the lovelier mouth, the
white, even teeth.’ .

There is the front of a 1950
Austin A-40 in the background.

: The year is 1956 — July. The

_ place is Burlmarie Lodge in
 Baysville, Ontario.

The White Lady, as the (very

.. amateur) photographer came to
think of her, was working as a
waitress at the lodge that summer.
‘That summer 37 years ago.

To say that the rather silly,
pretentious and totally inadequate

‘young man, also 21, who took
that picture, was smitten with her
is to make an understatement.

.. He'd been in her class — Grade

_ 10 — years earlier. .

“| He'd glanced sideways at her,
~ even fantasized about her (himself
_as hero, protective, chivalrous,
and handsome), but never dared.

“/say inore than a few words to her,
once, in the entire year. She was

‘infinitely above him.

Then they met at a university
night school class. He now had
“some poise, some confidence. She

wasn’t stuck-up after all.

‘There are memories of the two

- of them that, years later, are /

“. fresher than yesterday. at

Of that family holiday in

- Hollywood, Florida. Of crossing

. the Lewiston Bridge over the

Niagara River in the open MG —
and being caught in a mighty.
‘cloudburst, helpless and giggling.

Of car races at Watkins Glen,
New York; and the nearest ac-

; - commodation — Mis. Meanis’
guest house in | Geneva, $2 each
for two rooms, |
~ In’ November 1957 she was
diagnosed as having breast cancer.

* There were terrible; terrible

- operations, and 27 months later
shé ‘died. He had been helpless to
do or say anything right, and by

Lautens

GARDEN OF BIASES |

then there was another woman to
sharpen his anguish and sense of
betrayal.

Yet in the end there was a
reprise and they died together —-
even he, in a miserable self-pity-
ing sense, died a little that day —
in love.

Recently Pat Wallace of West
Vancouver, a much-respected old
colleague now retired as editor of
what used to be called the

‘women’s pages of the Vancouver

Province, sent me a package of
materials that once again brought
it all back.

: Pat works with the B.C. chapter

of the Canadian Breast Cancer
Foundation, which deserves to be

. far better known. It’s anentirely -
-vyoiunteer organization, and it uses

no paid fundraisers.

Next Thursday, Oct. 7, is Breast
Cancer Awareness Day in Canada,
and an Awareness Day breakfast
will be held from 7:15 to 8:50
a.m. at the Hyatt Regency in in

Eldercollege receives funding

/-CAPILANO COLLEGE'S El-

dercollege recently received
$33,000 from Health and -
Welfare Canada.

The grant will be used to
enhance and expand programs
for aduits 55. and older at the
college.

Eldercollege is a three-year-
old seniors’ program that pro-
vides self-directed learning in a
college setting.

Eldercollege, which is par-
tially funded by Capilano Col-
lege, will provide 20. seminars
and ‘study groups in. October

| and great books. /

: conducted called,

Vancouver, with the assistance of
Kellogg’s.

Last year the first such
breakfast attracted 725 people;
this year the target is 1,200.

The keynote speaker is Silken
Laumann, 1992 Olympic bronze
medallist in single scull rowing
and Canadian Female Athlete of
the Year, described as a breast
cancer survivor.

Other speakers are Dr. Karen
A. Gelmon, who specializes in
breast cancer for the B.C, Cancer
Agency, and Dr. Susan I. Barr, a
nutrition researcher and winner of
a 1993 University of B.C. Award
for Teaching Excellence.

Tien on Sunday, Oct. 24, the
foundation’s B.C. chapter is also

Creative Drama, Art and Dance Programs for children and teens 2-16 years

Fall programs start the week of October 4. .
Far information cali 922-8563/987-6469, or register at the
West Vancouver Recreation Centre (926-3266)

(DRAMAWORKS IS IN PARTRERSHIP WITH Paras axp Recrearion Drarmar, Distsct of West Vancouver}

‘staging a Run for the Cure, with

the help of Honda Canada and
several other sponsors, starting
from City Square, 12th and Cam-
bie. It’s a 5-kilometre run and 1-
kilometre walk.

The statistics are cold. Last year
15,700 women in Canada (2,300 in
B.C.) were diagnosed with breast
cancer; 5,200 (570 in B.C.) died.
It’s the leading killer of women
aged 35 to 54.

There’s one drawer in my old
classic newspaper desk that’s

‘rarely opened, containing a fading

correspondence, the socks she
knitted for me 37 birthdays ago.

In June I was home, and of
course I went to the grave, drove
past ker family’s old house where
strangers stared at me from the
porch, and stopped at my own
family’s old house where once, in
the hallway toward the back door
in the last few months of her life,
she abruptly turned and kissed
mie, a stunning thing, the most
memorable of all those unforgot-
ten kisses.

The sense of that varnished time

has never left me, and of how
‘different life would have been if a
“few normul cells hadn’t gone

Visit the earthquake simulator, see
the magic of chemistry, join Urban
_ Source at a children’s carnival, cheer ©
for the T-Birds, enjoy great food,
and much more...

Saturday, October: 2 |

10:30 am to 5:00 pm

myst ‘ously crazy.

including topics such as urban
prospects (regionai.. planuing)

4

For more information call /

822-1 993

&B

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, ue

An artists’ series will also be
Is There a
Place for Art.in Our Culture?
The artists’ series will look at
the works of Jack and Doris
Shadbolt, Sam Black and First
Nations artist Doreen Jensen.
Eldercollege’s annuai
membership costs $145, :
Anyone interested in joining. :
Eldercollege may call Capiiano
College’s extension Programs, at
984-4906. :

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the Corporation of the District of North Vancouver
until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 10, 1993.

For a tender brochure providing full details, please contact
the Land Department, District of North Vancouver ‘Annex,
253 East 14th Street, North Vancouver, B.C.

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