Barb Haley, Watershed Watch Chair
Phyllis Anne Matthews (nee Sutherland) September 16/1940 – January 29/2025
It has been a very hard winter for our family, watching Mum go through Dialysis three times a week as she was in end-stage renal failure. Add the sucker punch of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (Non-Hodgkins) officially diagnosed on New Years Eve.
Unfortunately, renal failure stage had set Mum too far back physically, to the point where Chemotherapy was not going to give her the outcome any of us wanted. Mum decided to spend the last of her days surrounded by all of her family and friends (and her doggo Josephine), at home, and on Wednesday Mum had left us forever.
This lady was the most amazing lady that I know. The strongest and bravest of all. Fuck Cancer. She kicked it in the a$$ one way or another! It was an honor to have been able to support Mum in her last journey, I learned, and did things, that I never knew I had the strength to do. To be surrounded by all the love and the sense of family was definitely a place of strength. The kindness of strangers, who took the time to notice that I wasn’t myself, the love of friends and co-workers, support from my managers, the care from Mum’s teams: Patient Care Coordinator & Nurses from the 6th floor, the Renal clinic, and the Oncology clinic, Emergency (Penticton Regional Hospital), BCAS, the family Doctor Irvine, Mum’s Pharmacist Felicity, Teh Red Cross, the Palliative Care Team and Home Health Care Workers was truly amazing and over the top!
Over the 26 years that I have known Phyllis, she became my Mum at a time when I needed a Mum the most. She was always there and had tought me many things, and had shown me the world of birds, horses, flowers, canning, photography, art and cross country skiing. The time was still too short.
So I went for a 8km ski today and enjoyed the beauty, the stillness, the serenity and the life!
Thank you Mum!! I love you and miss you…..be free.
Mum <3
