Leaving a legacy
[An overhead drone flies over a quiet suburban neighbourhood with lots of trees and parks covered in snow.]
[Stuart is lacing up his hockey skates and is clearing snow off the ice with a shovel, as he quickly moves around an outdoor rink with plywood boards.]
Stuart Boardman: I realized as a teenager that I wanted to be a high school Phys Ed teacher, mainly because of my father. He always played games with my brother and I, and he taught us the value of right and wrong, the idea of fair play and at the same time to enjoy life and have fun.
[Stuart is sitting in his living room, speaking to the camera. Shelves behind him hold family photos with many happy moments.]
[Stuart is flipping through photo albums covering a table. It’s clear these photos have been carefully preserved, and someone has printed captions for each photo. He turns the pages with care, indicating these photos have special significance to him.]
Stuart: I was 15 years old, and my dad got testicular cancer. It happened very quickly, very rapidly. So that was within six months that they diagnosed it and within six months he had passed away. That was a shocker for me.
[Stuart is speaking to the camera, clearly emotional remembering his father even after all these years.]
Stuart: That was the hardest day of my life.
[An overhead shot of Stuart skating, clearing snow off the ice]
Words on screen: Leaving a legacy
[Screen fades to black.]
[Stuart is collecting firewood outside. He is placing the logs into a wood-burning stove and stoking the fire].
Stuart: My name is Stuart Boardman. I usually go by Stu.
Words on screen: Stuart Boardman. Cancer survivor and legacy donor.
[Stuart is in his living room, speaking to the camera.]
Stuart: I'm a 71-year-old retired high school teacher.
[Camera pans over the family photo albums, showing wedding photos, photos of parents with babies and young children. More recent photos of three smiling, happy girls are hung on a fridge. Stuart’s voice is filled with pride when speaking about his family; it’s clear that his family is at the heart of his life.]
Stuart: I married my wife, Elaine, in 1977. Then a few years later, we had our first child, Blair. And then we had our daughter, Kimberly, in 1985. And, then we had three granddaughters, and they were a real inspiration for me when I was in the hospital.
[Stuart looking through the family photos.]
Words on screen: Since 2022, Stuart has been diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer and leukemia.
[Stuart is joined by his wife Elaine and both are looking directly at the camera and smiling.]
Words on screen: Stuart and his wife Elaine, made a gift in their will to the Canadian Cancer Society because they believe in the power of research to save lives across generations.
[Stuart is speaking to camera.]
Stuart: My wife and I didn't make wills up until quite a long time into our marriage. With my relationship to cancer, I thought I'm going to donate to cancer. So much percentage, or I put an absolute amount. I'm going to donate this to cancer.
[Stuart reaches across the table to turn the page on a photo album. Closeups of different photos – fishing trips, hockey teams over the years - appear.]
Stuart: I hope it saves somebody's life or extends somebody's life to better quality.
[Stuart is speaking to camera.]
Stuart: That's sort of the goal. You know, have a better life.
Words on screen: Elaine Boardman. Legacy donor.
[Elaine is in her living room, speaking to the camera.]
Elaine Boardman: We all know people who have had cancer and, many people who would have passed away years gone by are now living a healthy life because of the advancements in research.
[A closeup on Stuart’s face. He is reflective as he holds an image of him with friends on a hike.]
Elaine: It is our duty to give. And we believe the Cancer Society is a very worthwhile cause that benefits millions of people.
[Stuart is showing a series of cards taped to a wall. On these cards are positive affirmations, some specifically about cancer treatment, other are a testament to his faith in a higher power. They are reminders for him to remain positive and keep going throughout the difficult moments of cancer treatment.]
Stuart: I got the idea of a positive affirmation from reading the book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I had the idea of visualizing my treatments breaking down the cancer cells. These cancer cells are leaving me because that's what the treatment does.
Elaine: Stuart's always had positive affirmations with his coaching. You think more positive. What you think about, you bring about.
[Stuart is sitting on a bed, looking at the wall of affirmations and reflecting on his journey. Books, memorabilia and more family photos sit on a nearby shelf.]
Elaine: And they do provide many positive benefits.
[Stuart is taping the affirmations on the wall. These are the first things he will see when waking up in the morning and the last thing he will see before falling asleep. The cards read: my cancer cells are breaking down, my cancer cells are leaving me, my cancer cells are gone.]
Elaine: In this last round of cancer, they were able to target precisely where the cancer was in exactly which lymph nodes, and therefore we had a better chance of success. We're benefitting from other people's willingness to give. Without their gifts, he would not have survived.
[Stuart is wearing a hockey jersey, outdoors at the rink, and is speaking to his granddaughters on FaceTime. His face lights up and his voice is filled with lightness and enthusiasm. His granddaughter appears briefly on the phone screen.]
Stuart: There we are. Hi, Gabby. How are you? Hi, Olivia. Did you lose another tooth?
[A closeup of Stuart as he smiles, speaking to his granddaughters.]
[Stuart is speaking to camera, back at home.]
Stuart: I'm really grateful that people before me have donated money.
[Stuart is playing hockey with his son Blair. They pass a puck back and forth, both skating confidently over the ice. This is clearly something they do often. Stuart takes a shot on net and scores a goal.]
Stuart: My mother, and people of that generation, taking action today for tomorrow. Well, it might save your or my child from cancer. It's going to help us, our friends. It's going to help us in our senior years, specifically, it’s going to help our children.
Words on screen against a yellow background: A gift in your will can transform cancer for generations. Learn more about legacy giving at cancer.ca/giftinwill.
[An overhead drone flies over a quiet suburban neighbourhood with lots of trees and parks covered in snow.]
[Stuart is lacing up his hockey skates and is clearing snow off the ice with a shovel, as he quickly moves around an outdoor rink with plywood boards.]
Stuart Boardman: I realized as a teenager that I wanted to be a high school Phys Ed teacher, mainly because of my father. He always played games with my brother and I, and he taught us the value of right and wrong, the idea of fair play and at the same time to enjoy life and have fun.
[Stuart is sitting in his living room, speaking to the camera. Shelves behind him hold family photos with many happy moments.]
[Stuart is flipping through photo albums covering a table. It’s clear these photos have been carefully preserved, and someone has printed captions for each photo. He turns the pages with care, indicating these photos have special significance to him.]
Stuart: I was 15 years old, and my dad got testicular cancer. It happened very quickly, very rapidly. So that was within six months that they diagnosed it and within six months he had passed away. That was a shocker for me.
[Stuart is speaking to the camera, clearly emotional remembering his father even after all these years.]
Stuart: That was the hardest day of my life.
[An overhead shot of Stuart skating, clearing snow off the ice]
Words on screen: Leaving a legacy
[Screen fades to black.]
[Stuart is collecting firewood outside. He is placing the logs into a wood-burning stove and stoking the fire].
Stuart: My name is Stuart Boardman. I usually go by Stu.
Words on screen: Stuart Boardman. Cancer survivor and legacy donor.
[Stuart is in his living room, speaking to the camera.]
Stuart: I'm a 71-year-old retired high school teacher.
[Camera pans over the family photo albums, showing wedding photos, photos of parents with babies and young children. More recent photos of three smiling, happy girls are hung on a fridge. Stuart’s voice is filled with pride when speaking about his family; it’s clear that his family is at the heart of his life.]
Stuart: I married my wife, Elaine, in 1977. Then a few years later, we had our first child, Blair. And then we had our daughter, Kimberly, in 1985. And, then we had three granddaughters, and they were a real inspiration for me when I was in the hospital.
[Stuart looking through the family photos.]
Words on screen: Since 2022, Stuart has been diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer and leukemia.
[Stuart is joined by his wife Elaine and both are looking directly at the camera and smiling.]
Words on screen: Stuart and his wife Elaine, made a gift in their will to the Canadian Cancer Society because they believe in the power of research to save lives across generations.
[Stuart is speaking to camera.]
Stuart: My wife and I didn't make wills up until quite a long time into our marriage. With my relationship to cancer, I thought I'm going to donate to cancer. So much percentage, or I put an absolute amount. I'm going to donate this to cancer.
[Stuart reaches across the table to turn the page on a photo album. Closeups of different photos – fishing trips, hockey teams over the years - appear.]
Stuart: I hope it saves somebody's life or extends somebody's life to better quality.
[Stuart is speaking to camera.]
Stuart: That's sort of the goal. You know, have a better life.
Words on screen: Elaine Boardman. Legacy donor.
[Elaine is in her living room, speaking to the camera.]
Elaine Boardman: We all know people who have had cancer and, many people who would have passed away years gone by are now living a healthy life because of the advancements in research.
[A closeup on Stuart’s face. He is reflective as he holds an image of him with friends on a hike.]
Elaine: It is our duty to give. And we believe the Cancer Society is a very worthwhile cause that benefits millions of people.
[Stuart is showing a series of cards taped to a wall. On these cards are positive affirmations, some specifically about cancer treatment, other are a testament to his faith in a higher power. They are reminders for him to remain positive and keep going throughout the difficult moments of cancer treatment.]
Stuart: I got the idea of a positive affirmation from reading the book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I had the idea of visualizing my treatments breaking down the cancer cells. These cancer cells are leaving me because that's what the treatment does.
Elaine: Stuart's always had positive affirmations with his coaching. You think more positive. What you think about, you bring about.
[Stuart is sitting on a bed, looking at the wall of affirmations and reflecting on his journey. Books, memorabilia and more family photos sit on a nearby shelf.]
Elaine: And they do provide many positive benefits.
[Stuart is taping the affirmations on the wall. These are the first things he will see when waking up in the morning and the last thing he will see before falling asleep. The cards read: my cancer cells are breaking down, my cancer cells are leaving me, my cancer cells are gone.]
Elaine: In this last round of cancer, they were able to target precisely where the cancer was in exactly which lymph nodes, and therefore we had a better chance of success. We're benefitting from other people's willingness to give. Without their gifts, he would not have survived.
[Stuart is wearing a hockey jersey, outdoors at the rink, and is speaking to his granddaughters on FaceTime. His face lights up and his voice is filled with lightness and enthusiasm. His granddaughter appears briefly on the phone screen.]
Stuart: There we are. Hi, Gabby. How are you? Hi, Olivia. Did you lose another tooth?
[A closeup of Stuart as he smiles, speaking to his granddaughters.]
[Stuart is speaking to camera, back at home.]
Stuart: I'm really grateful that people before me have donated money.
[Stuart is playing hockey with his son Blair. They pass a puck back and forth, both skating confidently over the ice. This is clearly something they do often. Stuart takes a shot on net and scores a goal.]
Stuart: My mother, and people of that generation, taking action today for tomorrow. Well, it might save your or my child from cancer. It's going to help us, our friends. It's going to help us in our senior years, specifically, it’s going to help our children.
Words on screen against a yellow background: A gift in your will can transform cancer for generations. Learn more about legacy giving at cancer.ca/giftinwill.
