The tragically hip and the tragical blip: Anne faces glioblastoma, a fatal cancer of the brain
My wife Anne has been stricken by an incurable, highly aggressive form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma:
Voici un lien en français:
https://www.braintumour.ca/fr/types_de_tumeurs_cerebrales/glioblastome/
Her life expectancy is about 12 to 18 months. We hold out hope that her fitness, resilience, and grace under pressure will keep her with us a bit longer.
About 1,000 Canadians per year fall victim to this cruel affliction, approximately three per 100,000 people.
Anne drew the short straw, the square of paper with the black dot.
Anne has learned that Gord Downie, an iconic Canadian rock legend and front man for the group The Tragically Hip, was felled by this scourge.
Glioblastoma, brain tumour that took Gord Downie’s life, tough to treat, doctors say | CBC News
Until this week, Anne had never heard of Gord Downie or The Tragically Hip. We have lived away from Canada frequently in recent years and were residents of Quebec province for nearly 45 years – including 35 years in Quebec City – so we’ve been outside the English-Canadian loop for a very long time.
Anne may not be up on The Tragically Hip, but she has practically memorized all the novels of Jane Austen, having devoured them, like she now gobbles meatloaf, dozens of times per year.
She also shops at Simons and has been known to be so startled by the jarring sound of a cell phone that she hurled the offending device across the waiting room of a bus depot.
She despises smart phones, smart apartments, and smart apps.
Anne is “no logo”; she never wears garments garnished with slogans.
She suffers severely from trigeminal neuralgia and is therefore unable to tolerate earrings or necklaces, or any form of face covering or even gusts of wind. These cause her excruciating pain.
People have told her that she looks like the writer Virginia Woolf and the singer Celine Dion.
There are also those who make gratuitous, unwelcome comments about her height such as, “Aren’t you a tall girl.” “How tall are you?”
Or her weight :“How much do you weigh?” “You’re awfully skinny!”
“What would you like me to do about it?” She has taken to ask.
Our sons call her “couth” and find her endearingly quirky. Since English is not her first language, she sometimes garbles common expressions, pronounces words in the Slovak way, and uses vocabulary from Jane Austen or other 19th century authors.
She has never told anybody to “Have a good one” and finds my English-Canadian manners and mannerisms “nauseatingly friendly.” She can be untragically flip!
She carries her Eastern European heritage within her like an undigested lump:
The Russians are coming/ Les Russes sont à nos portes August 22, 1968 – Robert McBryde
Her life has been anything but easy, as reading the short account linked above will attest.
Anne is the true artist in our home. She has developed a unique aesthetic, creating pared-down floral arrangements, which others have defined as reminiscent of Japanese Ikebana.
Anne is the true artist in our home – Robert McBryde
Anne Is The True Artist In Our Home: Song Version – Robert McBryde
She had never heard of Ikebana until this affinity was pointed out.
Anne despises clutter. She often deems herself “constipated,” metaphorically speaking of course.
In short, Anne is a complex human being, as are we all, and she is about to disappear, as is our common fate.
She has left her mark in the areas of art and social justice, but most of all in the midst of our family.
We are cherishing every moment that we have left by her side.
Her time with us has been too short, but very funny; and we won’t allow her time on earth to be any sort of tragical blip.
Here is a series of links about Anne’s affliction, Gord Downie, and other victims of brain tumors:
Glioblastoma and Bohemian Waxwings: Birds for Anne – Robert McBryde
The Art of Love: A song for Anne – Robert McBryde
Childhood Meatloaf and Anne/ Le pain de viande de l’enfance et Anne – Robert McBryde
My wife Anne has brain cancer/ Mon épouse Anne est atteinte d’un cancer du cerveau – Robert McBryde
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/glioblastoma-1.4361814
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/gord-downie-obit-1.4359906
https://www.braintumour.ca/fr/types_de_tumeurs_cerebrales/glioblastome/
https://canadaehx.com/2022/10/08/gord-downie/
https://glioblastomafoundation.org/
https://sunnybrook.ca/content/?page=about-gord-downie-fund-brain-cancer
https://www.braincancercanada.ca/
List of people with brain tumors – Wikipedia
Videos about Gord Downie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i51CPPminbM
Mike Downie made a documentary about one of Canada’s most iconic bands, but it wasn’t easy. The filmmaker tells the story behind The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal (Prime Video) and the challenges that came with revisiting the memory of its frontman — and his late brother — Gord, who succumbed to glioblastoma in 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXD-gpmb1Us
Your friend,
Robert
https://robertmcbrydeauthor.com/
The Tragically Hip is my favourite band
I hope Anne can discover their music and appreciate Gord Downie as Canada’s Laureate ❤️
Wonderful! Thanks SO much for this feedback. She has discovered Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip and thanks to comments like yours has found solace and inspiration!
I promise to write much more about Canada’s Laureate ❤️
All the best!
Your friend,
Robert
Anne’s pared-down flower arrangements are so simple and beautiful. Only the essence of things, with none of the extras that usually get in the way of seeing what something is all about. She captures the point of things — the beauty of flowers, the ease with which eggs slip into the world because of their curves. Great clarity!
Thanks for reading this, Laurel, and for your comments.
We both send you big hugs!