After years of campaigning and hard work, the West Island Palliative Care Centre celebrated a brand new extension and a new name at a ceremony in Kirkland on Thursday.
The facility has been renamed in honour of its late co-founder Teresa Dellar.
“It is with mixed emotions that I stand here with you this morning as we officially adopt the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence name to honour Teresa who was and will always be our inspiration and guiding light,” said Allen Van Der Wee, president of operations for residents at the residence
The inauguration marks the anniversary of Dellar’s death just over a year ago.
The pioneer of end-of-life care passed away in August at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer.
The new residence fulfills a longtime dream of Dellar’s to have all the facility’s services and 23 beds under one roof in Kirkland.
“This used to be a nine-bed facility,” said executive director Dale Weil. “And we had rented on the fourth floor of a long-term care residence another 14-bed facility.”
Now residents each have their own room on the first floor, with a private patio and gardens.
“Teresa’s vision was so that no one would die alone, people would die in dignity and with respect and making the most out of their days and in peace,” Weil explained.
“So everything that we do has in some way to contribute to that.”
Dellar’s two sons, Nicholas and Jonathan Dellar-Fernandes, as well as her husband, Gavin Fernandes, say naming the renovated residence after Teresa is a fitting tribute.
“I think it’s amazing because she worked so hard on this,” said Nicholas. “It was always her dream to have everyone in one place, everyone under one roof.”
“This has been a second home to us in a lot of ways,” added Jonathan. “To know where it all started and to see where it is today and to know that’s what she wanted, it’s very fulfilling.”
They all agree, however, that Teresa wouldn’t know what all the fuss was about.
“This is something that she would’ve been honoured to have had done but she never would have done while she was alive,” said Fernandes.
“If she saw her name up, she wouldn’t be too thrilled about that,” said Nicholas with a chuckle. “She’s too humble for that.”
The expansion of the residence was made possible thanks to a two-year fundraising campaign that raised close to $14.6 million.
The Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence offers services free of charge to patients and their families. The non-profit organization receives one third of its funding for its operating budget from the provincial government but relies on donations for the rest.
— With files from Global’s Brittany Henriques