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inspirational
As we reflect on the past year, we think of what we have achieved and the challenges we have faced. We come together joyously, generously sharing with those in need. We optimistically explore what the future will bring. As Ontario's Lieutenant Governor, I too have been thinking about past and future.
We all have the choice to give up or tackle our challenge. There are many different challenges we will all face in our lives. I hope that my story of the biggest challenge I've faced so far, and my decision to push forward everyday will inspire you to also make the choice to tackle any challenge you face.
I had to be in the moment because my brain would not allow me to think ahead. As I was speaking, it terrified me. What if I would forget my next line? But it was a blessing. I was forced to be present, in that moment and think about the emotions in my story.
When Julian Backhouse ascends the CN Tower in April, he'll send his wheelchair up the elevator and climb the 1,776 steps to the top. The 63-year-old grandfather of four from Mississauga, Ont., has Wilson's disease, a rare genetic disorder that affects his physical strength and coordination.
During the past 30 years, more than 600 people from all walks of life have been invested into Order of Ontario. They are your neighbours. They represent the best of who we can be, and are united by their exceptional achievements and service to others. The Order of Ontario is how we recognize and celebrate those who have enriched our lives.
Now in my 50s, I look back over the last five years or so with quiet resolve. Four girlfriends have been diagnosed with breast cancer, all with different journeys. When the sobering statistics warn that one in nine women will get this dreaded disease, I know that cancer lurks in the shadows.
I could have just given up and accepted my fate but each time one door closed, I took a sledgehammer and built a whole new building. As long as I kept what was important to me from the beginning in mind, the possibilities of what would happen next would be left in my hands.
Over the following months in 2001, the violence continued in Burundi between the rebels and the government. My passion for my work diminished. I no longer felt like doing anything. I even stopped watching the news on TV, or even listening to it on my own radio station. Everything looked hopeless. In 2002, some Canadian journalists visited Burundi. If I were going to ask for help, it was now or never. Six months later, they invited me to visit Canada, and I jumped on the opportunity. I arrived in Canada with $60 in my pocket -- my mother's life savings.
