News and Stories

A year ago, my world was flipped upside down when my wife passed away unexpectedly due to complications from childbirth. Everyone was equally shocked and devasted by this turn of events and overnight, I became a newly single dad with a toddler and newborn baby.

Growing up, my family suffered greatly at the hands of my abusive and alcoholic father. My mother was a smart woman who had to methodically orchestrate our departure while my brother, sister and I were still young. After leaving she was free but was also a single mother with little money and a grade 10 education.

Several years ago, my life changed dramatically. Within a short period of time, my father passed away and my aging mother’s health began to rapidly deteriorate. As a result, my priorities shifted. I decided to quit my job, move from a small town near Vancouver Island to Kelowna, and become my mother’s full-time caregiver.

"You don't do it alone, you do it with support of others." As a single parent, Valene had to work three jobs to support herself and her son, Zach. Accessing safe and nurturing childcare for Zach was what she wanted the most, but they could barely make ends meet at that time.

"The love I got from this place made me want to keep going." Luci was struggling mentally and financially after being diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, but she never lost hope and stayed optimistic thanks to the immeasurable support and encouragement from people working at the Y. Learn more about Luci's story by watching her video.

My life turned upside down about two years ago when I received a startling diagnosis from my doctor – I was at serious risk for type 2 diabetes. I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised, after all for over a decade I had placed my health on the back burner and had developed some seriously bad habits.