Have you ever missed the opportunity to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event? For Melanie, 87, a resident at Chartwell Domaine Notre-Dame in Gatineau, it was the chance to fly over her hometown of Blue Sea, near Maniwaki.
Mélanie is a dedicated person who was a long-time volunteer at her church as a choir director and she continues to regularly support her local parish today. Much of her life has been fulfilled by her dedication to helping others, however, she has carried her own unfulfilled dream since 1957. After receiving her high school diploma, graduates had the opportunity to board a helicopter and fly above the region. But she was getting married the next day and was worried about what could happen. She withdrew at the last minute, a decision rooted in love and the commitment she had to her husband, François.
Shortly after the wedding, Mélanie became a teacher while François worked as an electrician and coincidentally found himself flying in a helicopter a few times a week for work. Mélanie loved to hear François talk about his travels but it would remind her of her unfulfilled dream.
On September 30th, The Chartwell Foundation was able to grant Mélanie her wish of soaring in the sky above her home region of Maniwaki. After all these years, she was finally able to check one more thing off her bucket list!