One Last Blog Post

On April 24^th, 2015 my Dad wrote his first blog entry documenting his diagnosis and subsequent battle with pancreatic cancer. On March 4^th, 2016, he published what would be the last installment in a remarkable series of works. My father was an optimistic and data-driven individual, and the approach with this final installment is an attempt to service both of these fine qualities he so consistently exemplified in his daily life.

Four days on the 16^th floor of VGH in Palliative Care don’t hold a candle next to 315 days of blogging, 52 posts, and 35,000 page views. These numbers, in turn, pale in comparison to 33 years of marriage, 31 years of fatherhood, and 65 years of an extraordinary life.

For those of you who have followed his writing, you already know that Hugh used this blog as a means of catharsis, a creative therapeutic approach to a daunting situation, and a pragmatic means to expedite the process of keeping his community informed. 

You know that he used humor to communicate his well-being, once joking that an unforeseen benefit of chemotherapy was that no bug bite went unpunished -- mosquitoes attempting to dine and dash succumbed to acute chemo toxicity, never making it past the perimeter of the patio.

You know that he quickly tired of explaining the status of his illness and treatment, and that he drew immense satisfaction by cutting such interactions short with three simple words: read the blog.

You know what a keen insight these entries offer into the life, mind, and soul of Hugh Tildesley: film, theater and book reviews in the Art’s Report, technology discussions in Tesla Titillations, Rants on topics ranging from Translink to federal elections to water restriction policies, expressions of his deep affection for The 5 o’clock Club (which he describes as “a witty, pseudo-intellectual denouement to the day”), FAQ headings such as “How are you feeling?” and “Do your cats and dog know you’re sick?”, Trivia like “What do the Beach Boys, Elon Musk and the Wright Brothers have in common?” (For the answer, you guessed it, read the blog). 

You might even know that his favorite course at Bandon Dunes was Old MacDonald, despite the unrelenting wind.  

What you may not know is the profound strength this readership gave him. Tens of thousands of page views were more than fodder for bragging rights, they were a reflection of the support he felt from each and every one of you… his friends and family, his colleagues and peers, his students, his patients, and all the people he inspired along the way.

Whether you’ve read the blog or not, these entries offer a way to feel close to Hugh. I couldn’t adequately summarize his words, even if I tried, but one quote strikes me as salient enough to repeat. In describing the fearless Bruins left winger Stan Jonathan, Don Cherry said something along the lines of, “it’s like ‘tis. When yeah gots a guy like Jonatan, everybody plays bigger.”

My Dad would want everyone to know that their support was felt, and to the many people he held dear, he’d say:“I play bigger with these guys at my back.”

A Celebration of the Life of Hugh Tildesley

Tuesday, March 22^nd

4:00pm

Point Grey Golf Club

Love from,

Deborah, Donovan, Hamish and Catherine Tildesley