My Brother, a Widower and a Survivor

My brother has just come back from a four month trip overseas. After working for over forty years, he finally decided to retire and started enjoying life. A widower,  he traveled solo for the first time overseas. I fully understand his reluctance to travel since my sister-in-law's passing a few year years ago.

Since a kid, I have been close to my brother and we shared many moments of joy and grief. Today,  we had lunch with Mom, and afterwards, I went to visit him at his Scarborough apartment and we spent a whole day looking at pictures and sharing his travel  and experience overseas.

 He loved living in Thunder Bay, the land of the Sleeping Giant, a northern city of 100,000 people about an hour and half plane ride from Toronto.  Unfortunately, due to the lack of job opportunities, many people come and go from this northern town, especially young people searching for jobs trying to fulfill their dreams.

Thunder Bay - Land of the Sleeping Giant

Tammy, my sister in law and Wayne loved this town making it their  home for their family.  Having worked for a few big companies, and getting promoted to a very responsible position, Wayne has made many friends and put down roots there. A few years ago, he and Tammy bought a beautiful piece of land and built a dream home for their family.

 Unfortunately, after working hard and having their dream house built, Tammy was diagnosed with cancer. Thunder Bay, being a little remote town from a major city, Tammy had to be treated in Toronto after her surgery. Wayne took early retirement from his job to stay home and look after his wife escorting her back and forth from Toronto for her chemo treatment.

It was the most difficult time of Wayne's life: he lost a lot of weight, feeling Tammy's  pain and fight against cancer and  remaining strong for her. He spent a lot of time outside building things for the house, the only way he knew how to deal with his grief and Tammy's terminal illness.
 
After four and half year's treatment and remission, Tammy's cancer came back and she died before the five years marker for cancer patients.  My brother was heart broken over  his wife's death.

He lost not only his wife, but his best
friend of thirty years, a partner who loved and supported him through thick and thin, an attentive audience listening and laughing at his jokes without fail, a cheerleader applauding him in his numerous body building competitions across Ontario, a drinking and karaoke buddy and a faithful and never get angry soul mate. It was a serious blow to my brother. His dream of living in the dream house with his lovely wife was completely shattered.

My Brother - a Widower & a Survivor in his Younger Days

He would have been living in Thunder Bay if Tammy was still alive. After Tammy's passing, Wayne sold his house and moved to the east coast. He has to start living and learning to cope with life on his own.

I am happy to see that my brother is living his bachelor life, coping well with life by himself.  He has worked another seven years on the east coast after Tammy's passing.

He is newly retired and traveling to see the world. I am absolutely delighted he has found a new partner who would share his retirement life, life's joy and sorrow, travel and many other things with him!

God, thank you once again for answering my prayers!!!

R.T.
Toronto