Less than a year ago, 39-year-old Jazz Turgeon and 35-year-old Patrick Haggart were the happiest they’d ever been.
After a challenging IVF process, the married Montreal couple’s daughter Amelia was born and watching her grow gave them endless joy.
“I was so excited,” Turgeon said. “It felt like everything we had worked so hard for had finally come true.”
“Life was good, but suddenly it wasn’t,” Haggart said.
The first bad news came in January 2024. Turgeon went to the doctor after experiencing dizziness and soon discovered she has a brain tumor that has been growing in her head since childhood.
It’s not cancer, but doctors say this could 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.”
Just over a month later, on Valentine’s Day, Haggart doubled over with painful abdominal pain. He was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with appendicitis. During the operation, 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 in June caused her to suffer a seizure so severe she broke her back.
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“The contractions from the attack actually destroyed my L2 vertebrae, a vertebra in your lower back,” she explained.
After weeks of rehabilitation, she can now 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 located in the part of the brain that controls personality.
There’s no guarantee she’ll wake the same person.
“That’s where ‘who I am’ lives. So to be told that when you have such a young child is very difficult because you want your child to know you,” she said.
Meanwhile, Haggart discovered in recent days that his cancer has progressed from stage 3 to stage 4.
The treatment plan will become more aggressive.
“My struggle is to stay alive, to take care of my daughter and my wife,” Haggart said. “They need me.”
They both try to remain hopeful for Amelia and for each other.
“For me it’s my daughter. She is everything I ever dreamed of. She definitely keeps me going,” Turgeon said
They are well surrounded by friends and family, and are assured that Amelia will be cared for no matter what.
“We do have some people we’ve talked to, especially my sister,” she said. “I’m not even forty yet. You know, it’s very strange to say to my husband, “If I were to die, this is what I would want,” and vice versa.“
Haggart said he never thought he would have to have his last will and testament in order at age 35.
“We hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, you know?” said Haggart.
Neither can go to work, adding financial stress to the equation. Turgeon says that because she only recently returned from maternity leave, she was told she didn’t work long enough to get paid sick leave.
“My heart really broke at that moment,” she said. “Because I only worked three weeks after returning from maternity leave, I technically don’t have enough hours to apply for sick leave from the government.”
Employment and Social Development Canada did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Friends have launched a GoFundMe to help the family. They are encouraged by the outpouring of support.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
