Patrick

What if 12 weeks (or 3 months) were all we had left? Wouldn't we try to quantify it in days to make it seem longer? My friend Patrick is in the palliative care unit, and a week has passed since his prognosis. I went to visit him in his new room, which is more welcoming than the previous one at the HMR.

A few of us were visiting. It felt like a reunion of old friends who hadn't seen each other since the advent of the smartphone. Reality showed the experience we'd acquired on our faces, but we were happy to be there together.

The wrinkles on my face reflect the path of my life, just as the lines on my hands mark the time to come... Between my face and my hands lies my future.

- DESCREA

Certainly, Patrick's future, as well as the future of his brother, father, close family and friends, took an unexpected turn in 2025. I listened to his brother Marco recount his powerlessness in dealing with Patrick's medical condition, and the day he felt the urgency to act before it was too late! It was a deeply touching moment for him, because his brother is his lighthouse. Without this intervention, Patrick would no longer be here, sharing his story and anecdotes with us candidly!  

I asked him if he still had dreams... His dream is a noble one, to be with us every day and to have the people he loves around him... He may be dying, but it's love that transcended in his room on the 3rd floor of the CHSLD in Saint-Hyacinthe. How many can say the same? The bond of affection between Patrick, Marco and their father Jules is strong and sincere. What a beautiful family! I was fortunate to be able to be there and spend some quality time with them afterwards.

What do you do with all the possessions you've accumulated in life? Marco, who is not a book lover, had the brilliant idea of donating them to the library at the camping site where he stays during the summers. For the time of a reading, people will have a little Patrick in their souls! I imagined a sign on the library that would come from him, immortalizing him there.

His beautiful collection of soccer jerseys will go to a youth organization.

He's not ready for his last journey, and neither are his loved ones. I dare to hope that the prognosis will be as long as possible - he has so much to tell! His serenity is remarkable. He doesn't think about death; on the contrary, he celebrates life. We should get together more often with people of such quality, and visit them while they're here!

Thank you for this beautiful lesson and this magnificent moment! See you soon!