My Artifacts

My Make-a-Wish Pillow: In January of 2023, my sister got to go on a Make-a-Wish trip and she chose to go to Disney Land. While we were there, my sister Madi got to choose someone to do a special activity where she got to pick out 2 pillows with pockets in them where ‘fairies’ would come and leave small treats and notes in every morning. Madi chose me to be the person to go with her and it was an amazing experience. This pillow is something very near and dear to me since I always feel like I have a part of my sister near and that I strive to do well so that I can make her proud. Even though she is 9 years younger than me, she believes in me and I want to make her proud.

Carter’s Hat: I grew up in a small town called Stratford and I had a best friend named Carter. We were inseparable and did everything together anywhere from going to the beach to movie night. He had a really hard and not very healthy home life, and as we got older, he fell down a path of addiction. We stayed in touch and I always wanted him to know I was there for him. When I was 16, Carter passed away from an overdose. He struggled so much and no one listened to him. Carter was only 17. His mom made commemorative hats to remember him and this is something that I hold close to my heart and it reminds me to work hard so hopefully I can make a difference and ensure I can help people in the way that Carter never was.

My Dragon Boat Canada Medals: When I was 11, I joined the sport of dragon boating. I instantly fell in love with the sport, and when I was 18, after 7 years in the sport, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Thailand for 3 weeks to represent Canada as team captain of the U18 Canadian Dragon Boat Team. While I was there, my women’s and mixed U18 team’s won 3 gold and 5 silver medals and it truly was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. This reminds me of what commitment can achieve and one day I would love to represent Canada again.

My Hospital Journal: During the time that my sister was in the hospital and then in physical rehabilitation, I kept a daily journal of her progress, milestones, and my experience throughout the entire process. This is something that I really thought nothing of at the time, but it is something so unique to look back on and see how far my family has come. I hope to turn these eateries into a memoir in the near future so that I can share my experiences and hopefully someone who has gone through something similar feels understood, since during that time in my life, I always felt out of place.

My Stethoscope: I come from a family where almost everyone is a nurse. When I told my family I was going into a nursing program at Trent and one day hoped to become a doctor, let’s just say everyone was very excited! For Christmas in my grade 12 year of high school, my aunt who is a nurse, bought me a stethoscope and said she could not wait to see all that I do. I am so excited to one day be able to use this in practice and it was such a meaningful gift when I was just starting off my nursing journey!