Doug’s Story

Life in a shelter can be hard. Closing your eyes at night in a room full of strangers can be a struggle. Chances are if you’re staying in a shelter, your journey has not been an easy one. Add a diagnosis of cancer to the circumstances and it can be very dark.

Sixty-three-year-old Doug came to Ruth and Naomi’s Revive Shelter about a year and a half ago. Working as a roofer with a local company, he would leave during the day and return in the evenings to take part in the community meal and stay in the overnight shelter. Between his decreased work hours due to covid and the rising cost of housing, Doug could no longer make ends meet and ended up with no home, no security, and no retirement plan. When his cancer diagnosis was handed out with a 6-month sentence, his only option was to ride it out in the shelter.

But Doug’s disposition didn’t speak of the hardships that he endured. His blue eyes were always bright and smiling. His guitar was his constant companion as he played his favourite Garth Brooks song ‘The Dance’. He wasn’t a complainer; he was fiercely independent and he certainly was a giver. Visited in hospice by RAN staff, in his last days, Doug’s one request was that his scooter and his guitar would be passed along to someone who really needed them.He was thankful for the care and help he received at his shelter ‘home’ and for the RAN ‘family’ that surrounded him in his final hours.

Doug has since passed away, and his life has made an impact on both the staff and the residents of the Revive shelter. While the life and circumstances of each individual who passes through our shelter is unique, Ruth and Naomi’s Mission seeks to bring hope to all who are struggling in their journey.