Dear editor,
We are writing this letter to thank the many wonderful people of Jasper who helped us at a time of great trauma in our lives.
We are from Ottawa and were travelling across Canada by train, stopping in Winnipeg and Edmonton en route to Vancouver. Overnight from Edmonton to Vancouver, Peter Martin felt ill and we decided to exit the train at Jasper on June 19 to get medical attention.
Unfortunately, the next day Peter passed away.
We were complete strangers, were in shock, and were treated like family by those we met in Jasper. Here are the incidents and the people, many of whom we do not know by name and can only thank by means of this letter:
- the Via Rail staff who helped us on the train when Peter was feeling ill, arranged for an ambulance to meet the train, rebooked our tickets to Vancouver for June 21 at no extra cost, found us a place to stay at the Whistlers Inn and transported our baggage to the hotel;
- the bartender, Kiara, at the Whistlers Inn who first administered CPR, went back to work, was sent home to recover and baked cookies for Colleen, Peter’s wife;
- the many first responders who did everything possible to revive Peter;
- the RCMP officer who needed to get the facts and who was polite, kind and understanding;
- Paul Schmidt who assisted us with compassion at the hotel, the hospital, and provided us with key information on what to do next; without Paul and his tremendous support we would not have known where to begin to make arrangements; Jasper is fortunate to have a position of Victim Services associated with the RCMP detachment and to have Paul in that position;
- the hospital staff and medical personnel who looked after Peter when first admitted and attended to him in his final moments;
- the funeral directors, Andrew Dick and his partner Kirsten for their compassion, assistance and professionalism in dealing so quickly with the situation to allow us to return home to family and friends;
- the Whistlers Inn staff who were so accommodating to our needs;
- the lady at the drug store who gave Colleen hugs when she explained why she was returning Peter’s medication;
- Maligne Tours who refunded the cost of a wildlife tour that Peter was unable to take;
- Sundog Tours who discounted our shuttle fare from Jasper to the Edmonton airport and allowed us time in Edson to meet with the funeral directors; and
- one of the first responders who noticed us dining in Karouzo’s and our dinner on that final evening in Jasper was “on the house”.
We are overwhelmed at the outpouring of kindness by all the people we met in Jasper and wish to express our sincere thanks to all of you who helped us through those difficult days in Jasper.
When one hears about all the hurt in the world, it is gratifying to find that there are people out there that are kind, compassionate and helpful. We found them in Jasper and thank all of you.
Blessings,
Colleen Martin, Marg and Bob Connelly
Ottawa
