Tannis Nicholson spent just 36 hours with her dying husband, Graham, at the Hospice at Glengarda. But the experience was so positive and profound, she decided to support the hospice with the proceeds from a golf tournament honouring her husband’s memory. Last year, the first event netted $50,664.50 for the hospice’s Comfort Care Fund. The second Graham Nicholson Memorial Golf Tournament will be held June 14 at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club. “Last year was just unreal,” said Nicholson in an interview. “The community, the event, the day was absolutely gorgeous. Graham came through with the weather.” Graham Nicholson, who loved to golf, was diagnosed in January 2022 with glioblastoma, a kind of aggressive brain cancer. He died at Glengarda on April 15, 2022. “I knew the minute I walked in the doors that I was sort of home and safe,” Nicholson said. Written on the white board was “Welcome Graham and family.” Two nurses came quickly to take care of Graham and one of them said to Tannis, “we got you. Follow us.” And Tannis took a sigh of relief.

“They got him comfortable. One nurse sat beside me and said ‘we’ve got this, we can handle this, you just need to be wife. Right now, I need you to go home and get some rest.’ “I knew I didn’t have time. I just said, ‘I can’t. I will stay.’ “So they set up the chair, rigged it up and put a do not disturb on the door. So I just laid with Graham. My head wouldn’t stop, but I was in a place where it was just perfect.” Throughout the process, Tannis has had enormous support from her brother, Tyler Moss. “You went from constant caregiver back to being a wife and a mother, and somebody who could participate in the process in a different capacity. It’s draining. That was a huge sigh of relief,” Moss added.

Moss had previously been to Glengarda, supporting a palliative friend, and told his sister about it. “It’s very homey. It’s very comfortable. It’s not so sterile and clinical,” as a hospital may be. Another reason Tannis wants to shine a light on Glengarda, both with funds and publicity, is to help other people in the same position she was in. She wanted the comfort and peace of a hospice for her husband and family. “I had to advocate,” she said. “I kept pushing. I want Glengarda. “I was also concerned about my kids. But walking in there is way different from into the hospital. “You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s why I’m advocating for this. It’s a matter of having that knowledge out in the community.” At first, though, Moss was a bit skeptical about their ability to organize a golf tournament. “When Tannis floated the idea by me, I said, ‘are you nuts? We don’t golf and we’ve never done a fundraising event,’” he said. “Last year was a lot of firsts, (including) working with a charity. They were a huge support to us and guided us along. Eighty-five per cent of it was live and learn, and we did. “We pulled it off. We had a committee that was really good and really strong, and we did it. We decided we’d give it another go and see what happens.”

Funds are raised by tournament registrations as well as an online silent auction, which netted $9,600 last year, and a live auction which brought in $3,500. Direct and auction donations can be made, and for the non-golfers, there is also a dinner event.

To register or learn more, the link is https:// can.givergy.com/gnmgt2024/

-Joanne Paulson