Walking up the tarmac is the Cere family.
It’s sunny, they’re smiling, grandaughters are being led by Gilles Cere, the patriarch, walking slowly up to a gorgeous Grummond Goose floatplane.
To most, it may just look like any other west coast outing.
But for this family, it means so much more.
“Making memories,” said Valerie Steele smiling at her father Gilles.
“For them, not for me,” said Gilles interjecting with a smile.
It’s a bittersweet joke, gesturing to the fact that for Gilles, the clock is ticking.
He and his wife moved to Vancouver Island two years ago, with then plan to explore their big beautiful new backyard.
But then for Gilles, cam a diagnosis: cancer. Terminal cancer.
Then, another blow: the pandemic, and Gilles and his wife’s dreams of island adventures seemed quashed.
But their daughter was determined to let some light in, in the dark time.
“My husband and I decided to get married to get a little uplifting. But now my dad’s health is plummeting, and we know we only have a few weeks to go. I couldn’t let go. Him untraveled, and unseen the island,” said Valarie Steele.
So Valarie put out a plea: one last flight for her father.
And now, through the generosity of strangers on GoFundMe, his dream is coming true.
“Un, deux, trois, go!” said one of Gilles’s grandaughters, lifting him on board.
“What a nice airplane!” said Gilles, sitting in the co-pilot seat, smiling and taking it all in.
The plane is taking Gilles to some of Vancouver Island’s best hits – hovering over Mt. Mt Arrowsmith, to the highest falls in North America Della Falls, over to Tofino, and even a splashdown on Cowichan Lake.
But for Gilles, it’s not just about the sights.
No. For him, the sky isn’t even the limit.
“It’s just to give some hope, to other people. That you can do something, not just waiting to die. Doing something great, before leaving” said Gilles.
Kori Sidaway
