As journalists we get the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, for various reasons, depending on the story we are working on.
But sometimes there comes a person you meet that just leaves an everlasting impression. Someone that really sticks with you.
Last year my cameraman Rick Helinski and I had the honour of meeting Mike Smith, his wife Ashley and their three kids Caleb, Ethan, and Karissa — a wonderful family from Peterborough.
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Mike had been diagnosed with stage four testicular cancer about a year and a half prior and at that point he had been in remission.
His family was elated — Mike had a new lease on life, his kids were rejoicing beyond words.
In fact, for the first time in my career as a journalist I let my emotions get the better of me and I got teary eyed talking to the family as they focused on a new future rather than fearing for the worst.
It was one of the most emotional stories I had ever done. I left their home saying to them the next story we would be doing would be five years later when Mike was officially cancer free.
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But just before Christmas I was given the news by Mike’s wife Ashley that Mike’s health had taken a turn for the worse. The cancer was back with a vengeance.
Rick and I went back to the Smith home, but this time the story was about focusing on the here and now and how the community of Peterborough was coming together to help this family deal with such tragic news.
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Everything from free weekend getaways, dinner vouchers, gift cards, even car rides were offered to the family by friends, family and complete strangers.
That is how much of an impact Mike had on the community – they all loved him.
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Mike Smith died on June 4 at 2:30 p.m. with his wife and children by his side.
I had planned on visiting the family — but I was too late.
As I write this, I realize as I mourn the loss of a friend that he gave me one of the most amazing gifts — an opportunity to meet someone who truly made a difference, who taught me what really matters in life.
After our first story aired, Mike kept in touch with me. In one of our last conversations he thanked Rick and I for treating his family and their story with dignity and respect.
“You restored my faith in the media community, I lucked out in getting you to tell our story,” he said in a text.
“It’s been a real privilege to have been treated with such care and respect. You really made it easy. Don’t ever change.”
It was one of the most incredible notes I had ever received. It was a testament to the kind of guy Mike was.
Mike Smith was a man who brought the community of Peterborough together. On the day of his funeral, people came from all over town to pay their respects; from his work colleagues, family and friends, to members of the local hockey community.
I was among those who packed the Highland Park Funeral Centre on June 8. I heard story after story about how Mike made a difference in someone’s life, about his love for his wife and children, his dedication to his job and coworkers and how he would go above and beyond to help anyone in need – even while he was battling cancer.
One friend recounted a story about when his furnace blew and Mike, during his chemotherapy treatments, took the time to call and talk him through how to repair it.
It was a very typical “Mike thing to do.”
The stories about Mike made me cry and smile all at the same time.
The best way to describe what I was feeling in that room was pure love and pain — pain for a man so many will miss, but love for a man they were privileged to have in their lives.
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Mike died just days before his birthday, on June 10 he would have been 39 years old.
I decided to go to Mike’s funeral to give him and his family the same respect they gave me. He deserved at least that.
During the long drive to Peterborough, I thought a lot about the Smith family.
I knew this was going to be a very emotional farewell and so I tried to prepare myself for what I was going see. Well, I was a fool to think this was going to be easy — it was far from it.
As we slowly walked behind Mike’s coffin to where he would be laid to rest I heard brief comments about him.
“I thought he would make it.”
“Mike wouldn’t want us to cry so much, he would want us to laugh.”
“This is so hard, I really miss him.”
“He always made you laugh.”
These were just some of the things people said.
But the hardest thing to hear was this: the heartbreaking cry of Mike’s daughter Karissa yearning for her father — a painful, desperate call to bring him back.
I watched his eldest son Caleb embrace Mike’s coffin and Ethan — through tears, his sweet face swollen with fatigue and sorrow — tell his Dad he loved him.
I just stood there watching this family mourn, tears streaming down my face wishing I could embrace them all — erase the pain.
But that was not my job that day.
My job was to fulfill what I had started with the Smith family — closure to their story and giving them the respect and dignity they deserved.
There were no cameras that day, no pictures, no questions, just an embrace and a promise to keep in touch. I owed them at least that much.
It was promise I made to Mike and one I intend to keep.
Death is a difficult and sad.
It makes you feel lonely, even angry at times.
The final goodbye is never easy, but sometimes something happens that helps to ease the pain — a sign if you will.
When it was time for the family to say goodbye to Mike — Caleb, Ethan, and Karissa were each given a blue balloon to release into the sky.
Standing next to Mike’s coffin, Caleb let his go first and the minute he released it, as the balloon began to take flight, it popped.
The sound triggered a bit of shock, and then smiles, even a giggle.
Perhaps it was Mike letting them know it’s never about saying goodbye, but rather “I will see you soon.” A bit of comfort for a family who has lost so much.
Rest easy Mike. You have three amazing children who will keep your incredible spirit alive.
And yes, it’s never goodbye, I will see you soon.
An online fundraiser has been set up to help Mike’s family.
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