Brothers For Life!
Reg and Pat were born in Kingston, Ontario. Although their upbringing was not ideal and both brothers moved around a lot, they managed to stay in contact with each other and remain a huge part in each others lives.
Reg moved to Hamilton and has been with the Salvation Army Lawson Ministries Community SIL Program since 1990. His brother Pat still lives out in Ottawa where he has his own support and friends.
Reg and Pat continue to talk to each other daily over the phone. Both brothers have a great sense of humour. Pat will often leave messages on Reg’s phone joking around and laughing.
Since I have been working with Reg, which is somewhere around 20+ years, I have made sure these two brothers get to spend as much time together as possible. Pat often travelled to Hamilton in the summer before going to camp to spend a week or so with Reg and then again at Christmas time. Reg has also gone out to Ottawa to spend Christmas there with Pat. This year, Reg and Pat were finally able to spend a Christmas together after not seeing each other for two years due to Covid. It’s been so nice seeing them interact and spend time together.
My role in supporting Reg as his Case Worker is to not only make sure that Reg has the best quality of life as possible, but to ensure he continues to stay in touch with his brother as well as helping Reg to make some of his dreams and wishes come true. Reg has always said he wanted to see the Ocean and go somewhere hot. In 2018, I was able to accompany Reg to Cuba where he was able to do just that. It was a trip that Reg still talks about today.
Seeing these two brothers together each year, making new memories and bonding is beyond heartwarming. It’s a special moment that no one can take away from them, and I am beyond proud to play such a special role in their lives.