Montreal parents of 18-month-old girl both diagnosed with life-threatening illness – Montreal
Less than a year ago, 39 years old Jazz Turgeon and 35 years old Patrick Haggart They had never been happier.
After a difficult IVF journey, the married couple from Montreal had their daughter Amelia born and watching her grow up brought them endless joy.
“I was so thrilled,” Turgeon said. “I felt like everything we had worked so hard for had finally come true.”
“Life was good, and then suddenly it wasn’t,” Haggart said.
In January 2024, the first bad news came. Turgeon went to the doctor after feeling dizzy and quickly discovered that she had a brain tumor that had been growing in her head since childhood.
It’s not cancerous, but doctors say it can change at any time.
“It’s almost like I didn’t believe it, which I think is part of the process,” she told Global News. “I was very shocked.”
A little over a month later, on Valentine’s Day, Haggart was doubled over with excruciating abdominal pain. He was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with appendicitis. During surgery, doctors discovered something else.
“They told me, ‘You have cancer and you need to have chemotherapy to save your life,'” he said.
While Haggart was undergoing treatment for stage 3 cancer, Turgeon’s brain tumor caused her to have a seizure so severe that she broke her back in June.
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“The contractions from the seizure actually broke my L2 vertebra, which is a vertebra in my lower back.” she explained.
After weeks of rehabilitation, she is now able to walk without a walker or cane. Turgeon is now awaiting major brain surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, but it is in the part of the brain that governs personality.
There is no guarantee that she will wake up the same person.
“That’s where my personality lies. It’s really hard to be told that when you have a child so young, because you want your child to know you,” she said.
Meanwhile, in recent days, Haggart discovered that his cancer had progressed from stage 3 to stage 4.
The treatment plan should become more aggressive.
“My fight is to stay alive, to take care of my daughter and my wife,” Haggart said. “They need me.”
They both try to keep hope alive for Amelia and each other.
“For me, she’s my daughter. She represents everything I’ve ever dreamed of. She keeps me going, that’s for sure,” said Turgeon.
They are well surrounded by friends and family, and have been assured that Amelia will be taken care of no matter what.
“We’ve talked to some people, including my sister,” she said. “I’m not even 40. You know, it’s very strange to say to my husband, ‘If I die, this is what I would want,’ and vice versa.“
Haggart said he never thought he would need to write his final will at age 35.
“We hope for the best, but we prepare for the worst, you know?” Haggart said.
Neither can go to work, which adds financial stress to the equation. Turgeon says that because she had just returned from maternity leave, she was told she hadn’t worked long enough to qualify for paid sick leave.
“I was heartbroken at that point,” she said. “Since I only worked three weeks after returning from maternity leave, I don’t technically have enough hours to claim sick leave from the government.”
Employment and Social Development Canada did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Friends have started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family. They were encouraged by the outpouring of support.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
