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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 4, 20 21 | 14 Prearranging your funeral is a thoughtful act. AWay to ShowYouCareAboutYour Family Main Office: 600 Spring Gardens Road, Burlington, ON L7T 1J1 • The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario Holy Family Catholic Cemetery offers options for both traditional casket burial and cremation. Prearranging now means your family will avoid having to make decisions during their time of grief. Contact us today to discuss your wishes and options. Call 905-522-7727 or 1-800-661-5985, or visit our website to find out more. www.thecatholiccemeteries.ca An Oakville nurse who died by suicide is being re- membered as a caring per- son who was dedicated to her work and who, in the most trying of times, al- ways put everyone else's needs before her own. Friends and family are mourning the loss of Stefa- nie Van Nguyen, a regis- tered oncology nurse who worked at Oakville Trafal- gar Memorial Hospital (OTMH). She also served as an oc- cupational health nurse at Humber River Hospital for the last six months. In a GoFundMe ac- count, Van Nguyen's boy- friend of nine years, Jason Parreno, announced her sudden passing, noting her death has left her friends and family "deeply heart- broken." Parreno described Van Nguyen as the most caring, loving, genuine, bubbly person you could ever meet. He said she always tried to take care of her family and friends when she was able and always loved with no restraint. Parreno said she was al- so an amazing nurse who was dedicated to her work and was always the one who stayed to get the job done. "I wish I could have done more," wrote Parreno in a social media post. "I wish I could've picked apart your brain and figure out what's wrong. I wish I had more time. I wish I could hold you in my arms again. You were the light in this world." Van Nguyen's friend and fellow nurse Amanda Jara also took to social me- dia to talk about what hap- pened. "Depression took our Stefanie away so suddenly. No one chooses to be sick, they just are," she wrote. "I know you wouldn't want us to blame ourselves or each other. We can't put the blame for any illness on anyone. People can have the world and more, but mental illness can still have a huge impact on them." Jara noted the pandem- ic had been extra stressful for Van Nguyen, but said she still put her patients first and continued to make a difference in every- one's lives. She called on her fellow nurses and those in the health-care field to be there for each other. "Please reach out. Please be strong for one an- other," said Jara. "Request time off, men- tal health days, anything. It is not worth it. This career is endless and it will always be there waiting for you to come back when you're ready." Van Nguyen's family has declined to speak with the media. On Jan. 25 Halton Healthcare noted on social media the flags at OTMH had been lowered to half- mast to honour Van Nguyen. The Registered Nursing Association of Ontario (RNAO) also issued a state- ment noting it grieves the loss of Van Nguyen who "left us way too soon." RNAO CEO Doris Grin- spun, who confirmed Van Nguyen died by suicide, noted that as an occupa- tional health nurse, Van Nguyen's job involved lis- tening to the health of safe- ty concerns of employees at the hospital. Speaking generally, Grinspun noted that in the context of COVID-19 that job would also involve speaking with and trying to help nurses who report being overworked, burned out or who are dealing with high stress. "You can picture going home every day with all the difficulties that you would see nurses going through," said Grinspun. The RNAO CEO said she believes politicians have no understanding of the un- wavering commitment of nurses and other health- care professionals or the price that is being paid for that commitment. She argued additional government funding is needed so more nurses can be hired to take the burden off those who are strug- gling. Those interested in helping Van Nguyen's fam- ily can do so at www.go- fundme.com/f/paying- tribute-to-stefanie-van- nguyen. Help is available at www.crisisservicesca- nada.ca/en. 'DEEPLY HEARTBROKEN' Stefanie Van Nguyen is being remembered as a truly compassionate and giving person. Jason Parreno photo DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS NURSE WHO DIED BY SUICIDE REMEMBERED FOR PUTTING NEEDS OF OTHERS ABOVE HER OWN To promote Alzheimer's Awareness Month (Janu- ary), the Alzheimer Society of Hamilton Halton, togeth- er with Halton Hills Public Library, conducted a virtu- al interview with Oakville caregiver and author Ju- dith Allen Shone. The resulting video, A Conversation for Care- givers: with Judy Shone, is on YouTube for the public to get a sense of the life of a spouse-caregiver and her loved one with several diag- noses. Shone is the author of two books about her world of caregiving, "Is There Any Ice Cream?" (2019) and "Did You Hide the Cook- ies?" (2020), the latter being about her journey in caring for a loved one with Alz- heimer's disease and vascu- lar dementia, as well as anxiety and COPD. In the video, she shares her personal experiences with moderator Danielle Arbour, public education co-ordinator for the Alz- heimer Society of Hamilton Halton. Shone's two books make up the "Accepting the Gift of Caregiving" series. Both books can be found at many local libraries or ordered from local bookstores, as well as online at Amazon or similar booksellers. Shone also hosts a care- giving blog, Accepting the Gift of Caregiving, where she shares ongoing experi- ences, caregiver tips, edu- cational resources, and re- lated activities. ALZHEIMER'S CAREGIVER SHARES HER JOURNEY VIA VIDEO Oakville caregiver and author Judith Allen Shone. YouTube photo WHAT'S ON SCAN FOR MORE Scan this code to watch Shone's caregiver journey video.