Owen and Victoria Stack
After a tumultuous attempt at landing in Wabush,NL our plane was redirected back to Sept Isles,QC where I had previously been waiting 10 hours. Irritated and exhausted, I released myself from the constraints of the airplane seatbelt to get off the plane once again. I looked down the aisle to see frustrated faces and lips moving with expletives. Through the sea of anger I saw one face shining brightly, like a beacon on that forsaken flight. Owen. At that point, I don’t know his name but I do know he is special.
Inside the airport Owen bustled around the terminal in his Montreal Canadiens adorned wheelchair, chatting with everyone who will listen. He is 3 years old, has a fondness for Queen, Superman, and the pictures of my cats on my phone. I tell him I have a son his age too and we discuss the finer details of Paw Patrol. He is returning from the Shriners Hospital in Montreal, he was born with Spina Bifida and will require a double hip replacement in the near future and was visiting the hospital for a check up. His wheel chair, customized with the Montreal Canadiens vinyl and lighted front wheels, was gratefully funded by the residents in his hometown, and mine, of Labrador City. An expense that otherwise couldn’t have been afforded by the family on their own. The next morning we arrive at the airport once again, and after nervously debating whether to ask or not, I ask to take their picture. I wanted to try capture the true beauty before me, the kind that makes strangers into friends, a community of travellers, with him just being there. Just being Owen. Victoria, his mother, refers to Owen as “my treasure” and he certainly is a gift to everyone who are lucky enough to meet him.
Elizabeth Cook 