Doreen (in progress)
When my grandmother Doreen was 13 years old, she was on a boat that exploded in Gravenhurst, Ontario. It made the front page of the Toronto Star on July 18, 1949. She had to receive skin grafts, and the recovery was long and painful.
When talking about her, I always describe my grandmother's sense of humour and love of swear words. But her deeper qualities are her perseverance and appreciation for life. I have to think that these traits were formed by the accident.
Growing up in the small town of Ingersoll, my grandmother would ride with her father in his egg delivery truck to attend piano lessons in Toronto. When the recovery from the accident kept her home for months, my grandmother left school and used the time to work towards getting a music diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She went on to work as a professional pianist for her whole life.
My grandmother is now 89 years old. She is an accomplished musician and has performed with famous classical singers. She still plays at concerts, recitals and church. She even works once a week at a university, accompanying the vocal students.
My grandmother has three children and seven grandchildren, who grew up calling her "Goofy Grandma." In 1996, she left Toronto for the small town of Orillia to be closer to my siblings and me. Later that year, we learned that my dad's cancer had returned. When he passed away in 1999, my grandmother was there to catch us.
While working at the university in 2021, my grandmother fell and broke her hip. But she didn’t give up. She spent months doing physiotherapy until she graduated from a walker to a cane.
My grandmother has an exceptional memory, and she remembers the boat accident in detail. But her physical scars have faded with time, blending in with age spots and wrinkles. All of it is evidence of the beautiful life she’s lived.
