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Wednesdsay August 11, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A3 Photos by Lifting the w eight o f the world Ian Anderson House is a godsend, say residents ■ Story by Howard Mozel , . J l PPP^ ■ /AVMW'.'- . .. 1 I P 1 I /•/llllfll' "On entering this room you will meet one of the luckiest men in the world. Blessed by God with a marriage that has produced three wonderful children, five grandchildren, the love of a good woman that deepens each day and the knowledge that God has directed my last steps to the comfort and peace of the Ian Anderson House. Our entire family is grateful for the care you are providing me." This short note, taped to the door of Milton Barnett's room at Ian Anderson House, speaks volumes about not only the gentleman who wrote it but also about the quality of care in Ontario's first free­ standing cancer hospice. While every resident's life expectancy is approximately three months, testimonials like Barnett's bear out the truth behind founder M argaret Anderson's assertion that the hospice is not a place to die, but a place to live. "It was a godsend to come here. It has taken the weight of the world off my wife ana fam­ ily," said Barnett. "My chil­ dren know I have the greatest care in the world." Doug Varty, who lives under the shadow of three brain tumors, could not agree more with his fellow resident. 'There is something to look forward to every day," said Varty, who enjoys sitting out­ side for hours on end with Barnett. "Freedom. T hat's what it amounts to." Barnett, originally from Dundas, met his future wife Victoria (who was bom and raised in Oakville) at a hockey game in Milton and they married the following August. That was 47 years ago. For the past 44 years the couple has called Oakville home. At the time, Milton was a handyman at Ortona Barracks while Victoria worked for General Electric. "We picked Oakville for its atmosphere," said Barnett. "It is growing quite rapidly but it's been able to maintain that small-town atmosphere." While attending a sports banquet at the Legion on May 6, 1998, Barnett experienced chest pains and was taken to Emergency where his heart was checked out. (He'd had a heart attack in the past.) A few days after tests were taken his doctor told him he had cancer. "It was in a site where there was nothing they could do about it," said Barnett, who spiked a fever last week but was so looking forward to this interview and that he perse­ vered - despite the morphine needed to dull his pain. Varty is a former plumber with the Etobicoke Board of Education for 25 years who had been living in the Cedar Grove mobile home park near Dundas and Dixie Roads. Varty spent three weeks in hospital and when he returned home, he said his wife Gail ana son Jeffrey dropped the "bombshell" that they'd been investigating Ian Anderson House. "It wasn't like T 've worked all my life and they dumped me out,' " said Varty. "That just wasn't the case. There was a time when I had the glums but now I've never looked back." Barnett decided to let the disease "run it's course" and tried home care but he and his wife just spent time worry­ ing about each other. The strain on Barnett's family simply became overwhelming. "It got too much for my wife. She had a serious opera­ tion last year and is 70 years as well," said Barnett, who first heard about Ian Anderson House from a VON nurse who came to the house and arranged a visit. "I fell in love with the concept." Although Barnett's daughter stays overnight with him sometimes, Ian Anderson House is the kind of place that manages to assuage the fears and guilt that often assail loved ones. 1 "My wife saw the care and compassion here and it took the weight of the world off her," he said. Varty has been a resident at Ian Anderson House for about four weeks, after he reached the point at home where his wife - who lost her mother recently - could no longer care for him. Ian Anderson House was a prayer answered. "It's a beautiful place. I don't know what I would have done if I had to go into an institution," said Varty. "It's like staying at home." Varty's family was put at ease by the charm and warmth l of the hospice as well as by the knowledge that he would be well looked after in event of another seizure. "I've seen the change in both of them since I came here," he said. Stress of his own and other factors caused Varty to lose weight, but since arriving at the hospice his pants are now in danger of needing to be let out: Varty's appetite is such that he once ate an entire large box of Timbits. Two days after a casual comment to a nurse, staffers cooked him a t- bone steak and salad dinner. Staff also stewed up rhubarb his wife Gail brought from home. "It really is a community," he said. "I couldn't ask for anything more. The people here are terrific. It's working out really well." Barnett concurs: "I told my doctor I'm convinced I 'd be dead if I didn't come here. He agreed. I was going down fast," Residents of the hospice are encour­ aged to bring with them reminders of home and the results are rooms as indi­ vidual as the people living there. Barnett's window ledge has pho­ tographs of his three "wonderful" chil­ dren? grandchildren and wife, as well as a variety o f "toys and gimmicks" such as a m iniature horse-drawn wagon, stained glass birds, stuffed ani­ mals and cacti. Every room at Ian Anderson House is bright and open and features bird feed­ ers outside the windows. Barnett said these attract everything from cardinals, jays and finches to hummingbirds. "It's like a little circus out there most of the time," he said. Barnett recently lost a meteorological wager with a nurse so on his dresser is payment for when she came on-shift: a bottle of Chianti with one of his cus­ tomarily wry notes attached. "The staff here is wonderful. I can't say enough," said Bamett. "I've never seen a scowl." Varty - who calls the staff his "second family" - gives the lion's share of the credit for his rejuvenation to the hospice, which he refers to as a "super spot." 'They need a lot more of this kind of place. It would help a lot of people," he said. 'T he thought of going into a hospital the rest of your life is pretty hard to handle." Varty still suffers occasionally from seizures but remains philosophic about his future. "No one knows when we're going to go," he says. "I could be in a box tomorrow. I've accepted th a t ... I hope." Yet another point on which both men agree is their debt to Margaret Anderson's tenacity and sacrifice to see the hospice through. "As weak as I am, if anyone said anything against this place, they'd have a fight on their hands," said Bamett. "It's a beautiful place. I don't know what I would have done if I had to go into an institution. 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Customer is res|NHisihle at lease inception for a down |iayincni. cash or trade equivalent of $7,906, the first monthly payment of $499.00, a refundable security deposit of approximately one monthly lease payment, freight, pre-delivery charges, taxes, registration and license fees. Customer agrees to make 36 equal payments of $499.00 plus taxes, for a total of $17,964 plus applicable registration fees and taxes. Customer is also responsible for insurance, maintenance and nqiairs. If rus tomer decides not to purchase the vehicle at lease end, customer must return vehicle to the dealer and is liable for a kilometre charge of $0.20Am over 54,000 kilometres, excess wear and use. if any. Customer has the option to buy the vehicle at lease maturity for $35,845 plus any official fees and taxes. Options are extra. See dealer for complete details. * MSRP for 1999 ML320 Classic. ^1999 Mercedes Benz Canada Inc., Toronto, Ont., A DailmerChrysler Company. Ian Anderson House is a godsend, say residents In 113 years of safety leadership, this is possibly our finest 2.7 seconds.