Cancer

My friend has cancer. I am here supporting. The news was sudden and traumatizing.

The insight I’ve gained into the inadequacy of our basic public health care system adds to that trauma. My friend must reside in the Greater Vancouver area for minimum one year. My friend is lucky. He’s full status Plains Cree from One Arrow, Saskatchewan. We’re lucky. First Nations Health Authority will cover our accommodation and meals for three months. Then what? I’ve had conversations with social workers at the VGH, and have received an email from FNHA with a contact. I feel we are very fortunate. Blessed.

I met folks in the hospital who had to sell property to pay for travel and accommodation expenses related to their bone marrow transplant. They rented a condo in West Van.

Another man with no prescription insurance with his cancer medication to pay for as a Day Patient. His wife tells of a guy trying to get $8000/month for a crappy condo near the hospital.

It seems by comparison, everything Lyle needs is covered – except of course a salary for a caregiver…though I’ve heard there are a few hours available to pay someone, if he is unable to do it himself.

It’s been 2 months since his diagnosis. The first month was fraught with trauma after trauma. We had to give up a rental we’d booked to move into November 1. We’re lucky it was within the same building, and they planned to upgrade our current rental so hadn’t rented it and we were able to stay in it, at half the monthly rate, a much easier rate to manage.

I feel lucky that we got an apartment in The Aboriginal Patients Lodge, a clean, secure building, with easy access to the hospital, downtown Vancouver, and bonus just a few steps from the Drive.

Update May, 4th 2026:

I saw this drafted post this morning, after watching this YouTube video last night. It’s been over three years since Lyle passed, and I am still impacted everyday by our time together. Lyle’s life was fraught with traumas of injustice and silencing. When he was alive, the MooseHide campaign had started, and I begged him to go to the marches with me. He believed he could not attend the marches due to his personal history with the justice system, a story too complicated to tell in blog posts. I’ve been invited to drum and sing with Gordie Bear, who will lead the march this year. I feel honoured and privileged to carry Lyle’s drum, to learn the songs with Gordie, and in that way do what Lyle wanted to do, but believed he could not.