She was training for a half-Ironman this summer despite her illness.

Thousands of Canadians have signed the petition.

I don't give a s*** whether you are Liberal, Conservative or none of the above, sometimes it's not about that. Let's all do the Canadian thing and join our prime minister in sending Gord Downie and the Hip our best wishes, send them tons of strength and love in the coming months and beyond.

Certainly, there are bands that are more famous, have sold more albums and put on bigger shows, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one that captured a country's attention -- at least 11.7 million of us, according to CBC -- like The Hip did that night in Kingston.

Gord Downie has chosen an excellent -- and personal -- benefit for his final tour. Glioblastoma (GBM, or stage 4 brain tumour) is among the number one causes of death for 40 to 60 year old Canadians. It also affects children and adults of all ages, without any genetic predisposition.

While more fashionable bands have faded into musical footnotes, the Hip has enjoyed a 32-year career and domestic deification. But now the part of their name that has the most resonance as the Hip rocks its way across the nation one final time is "tragically." Not that you could tell from the surface euphoria onstage and in the stands as Gord Downie's incurable brain cancer took a backseat for a couple hours of communal rock catharsis during the band's 25-song concert at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.