Encouraged to name their pink lady butterfly for their late loved ones, Rick Danielson did just that in memory of his wife Karen at the Lougheed Foundation Live Butterfly Release on August 17.
It seemed, though, that Karen the butterfly was in no hurry to leave the safety of Rick’s hands, as the insect waited for some time to take to its wings.
Rick’s wife Karen passed away a year ago in September at the age of 77, three days, he said, before their 58th anniversary.
“It's nice to remember,” he said. “It's nice to give a butterfly. It's nice to say goodbye to her. She doesn't want to go.”
The live butterfly release, held at Science North, raises funds for the Maison McCulloch Hospice.
With a goal of $40,000, the event actually brought in more than $74,000, going toward the $1.6 million the hospice must raise annually to keep its doors open.
The names of more than 200 people who had butterflies dedicated in their memory were read out during the event.
Gerry Lougheed of the Lougheed Foundation thanked those in attendance for contributing to the fundraising event, but reminded them to perhaps send “a little note or email to Mr. Ford and his government, just saying, you know, it might be kind of nice to increase that funding.”
Hospice executive director Julie Aubé said butterflies are a symbol of rebirth and transformation.
“Those who come here, it's a great thing to bring family together around the memory of a loved one lost,” she said.
Lougheed, who along with brother Geoffrey Lougheed, released butterflies in memory of their parents Marguerite and Gerry Sr., expanded on that metaphor.
He said that butterflies must struggle to emerge from their cocoon strong, and this is a symbol of the struggles of end-of-life.
Thinking of his mother’s struggles with cancer as a type of cocoon, Lougheed said “I think today we see the beauty of the butterfly and think, ‘Oh, mom's cancer is all over, hopefully, where she is. It inspires us to understand that even from struggle, we can come to beauty, inspiration and hope.”
Also speaking at the event was NHL player and Sudbury native Nick Foligno, accompanied at the butterfly release by his dad, Mike Foligno, the former coach of the Sudbury Wolves and assistant coach with several NHL team.
Nick’s mother, Janis Foligno, passed away from breast cancer at the hospice in 2009, and so the facility holds special meaning to the family. He said his sister even held her engagement party at the hospice during his mom’s time there.
“So that's my biggest message, is like a butterfly, let's go out in the world, make sure people know how important this is to us, how important this service that we have that is crucial to a time in our lives,” Nick said. “Death sucks, but it gives you some dignity and some comfort knowing that your loved one is going to pass in a beautiful place, and you can just focus solely on them.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.