This is my friend Heidi. Heidi passed away on April 28, 2025, after a nine-year battle with breast cancer; she left behind two beautiful children, a life partner, and an expansive network of friends and family. Heidi was forty-eight years old.

I first met Heidi fourteen years ago. She generously donated her professional time and expertise to help our local daycare transform a dry and lifeless plot of land into a beautiful and joyful space for the children. The energy and enthusiasm that she brought to the project demonstrated her lifetime commitment to community and reflected her generous heart.

Seven years later, Heidi and I reconnected when she helped me transform my home garden. It was a massive project. I felt overwhelmed and unsure where to start. In a typical Heidi-way, she looked at me with her inquisitive eyes, and a wide smile and said, “Well, let’s just take it one bed at a time.” And so we did. We dug every new bed together, hauled endless piles of compost and dirt, moved and arranged plants. It was satisfying and exhilarating work. I will always remember it with so much pride and fondness.

During the two years that we worked together on the project, we both experienced divorce. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and Heidi was diagnosed with cancer. It was a difficult time, and yet, we immersed ourselves in transforming the garden, and shared many beautiful, meandering conversations on love, life and the universe. I will never forget Heidi’s unwavering ability to remain optimistic throughout it all.

Yesterday, I attended a celebration of life for Heidi at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific: a magical place where she worked and taught at for many years. At least a hundred people came out to honour her life, with many travelling in from far away places. It was incredible to hear all of the stories, poems and songs shared. One by one, children, friends, family and colleagues came to the microphone and expressed gratitude for how she touched their lives.

A particular story that stood out for me was one shared by Heidi’s mother. She spoke of an experience during Heidi’s last days in hospital. After a particularly stressful incident, the two of them were left in the room alone, and her mother noticed a sudden shift in energy. There was an inexplicable feeling of expansive joy and ease. She looked at Heidi laying on the bed; and noticed she was smiling, with her eyes closed. When she finally opened them again, Heidi said, “Mom, I have seen what it looks like on the other side. There is nothing to worry about. It is so beautiful.”

Although Heidi’s physical body is gone, her spirit continues to live on in the gardens she planted, and the peoples lives that she touched. She was an extraordinary human being and I feel fortunate to have called her my friend.