Us kids, the offspring of the late Kappy Flanders, used to say our mother was our rock. was our mother鈥檚 rock. After our dad died in 1991, my mother was a 52-year-old widow. Hating the term and the idea that what lay before her was a life of bridge (which she didn鈥檛 know how to play) and boredom, she got to work. Step in Sheila Kussner to guide her. Sheila built one of the most successful cancer-care centers in Canada:. A peer-based cancer-support program, Sheila understood that cancer is a journey for the entire extended family, all caregivers together with patients. Her expansiveness and her vision in healthcare encouraged my mother to be ambitious as well. When my mother established the first chair in palliative medicine in North America to bring awareness about end-of-life care to the public, Sheila was by her side every step of the way鈥攅ncouraging and checking in each and every night. If Kappy were here, she would be writing this. On her behalf, thank you, Sheila, for all you did, and all you were.
Mrs. Kussner received world-wide renown and numerous honors, including appointments as an Officer of the , Officer of the Order of Quebec, Commander of the Order of Montreal, and Governor Emerita at 涩里番, which awarded her an LL.D. degree (honoris causa).