Burlington's Carpenter Hospice receives inspiring 'angelversary' gift

The Carpenter Hospice Therapeutic Wellness Garden got a great facelift from a wonderful family with a poignant story to tell.

The beautifully blended MacDonald-Hughes family - Sara MacDonald-Hughes and her three children Carter, Easton and Hayden, and Mark Hughes and his
three children Jyll, Gwen and Gaven, alongside grandparents extraordinaire Tom and Judy Griggs - spent the hot, sunny morning on July 26 creatively adorning and planting the centre's wellness garden.

The effort was a legacy tribute to a very special person.

Seven years ago, Sara and her three children lost an incredible husband and father when Scott MacDonald died suddenly. They wanted a special way to honour him that would reflect his life and legacy.

Scott is described as a wonderful man who helped so many people, and Sara and her boys decided to give back to their community each year on his “angelversary”.  This year, Carpenter Hospice was the beneficiary of their efforts.

Carpenter Hospice is a place that held special meaning for the family, as it is where they said goodbye to two dear family members at their end of life, most recently in June of this year.

Arriving first thing in the morning on probably the hottest day of the summer, this family got right to work alongside a few members of the Carpenter House staff team. They were a mighty group with lots of creative energy to share.

In a matter of a few hours all of the raised garden beds were painted brightly and beautifully, and each bed was planted. It was amazing to watch the garden come to life - in more ways than one.

There was not one complaint about the heat but lots of great energy and fun. A beautiful rain that evening topped it all off and gave the garden some much-needed refreshment after a hot day.

Garrison McCleary, wellness coordinator for Carpenter Hospice, points out the positive impact of projects such as this one.

“Emerging palliative care research indicates that horticultural therapy, and other restorative environment programming, supports the reduction of stress and improves individuals’ overall mood during palliative and end-of-life care," he said. "The Carpenter Hospice Wellness Therapeutic Garden is one such program that supports the hospice’s provision of holistic, equitable, and person/family-centred care to all who access our services from time of diagnosis through bereavement.”

Carpenter Hospice staff and volunteers look forward to watching this garden grow. The MacDonald-Hughes family's legacy will forever be a part of it.