Firefighter visit brightens hospice resident’s week as Face to Face campaign launches

A hospice resident with life long love of firefighters gets a visit from Windsor Fire as Hospice Face 2 Face campaign kicks off. CTV's Chris Campbell has more.

A Windsor hospice resident says she’s still smiling days after a visit from her heroes in uniform.

Joan Etue, a client at the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County, was surprised earlier this week by a visit from firefighters at Station 7.

“I got one wish come true,” she said. “Oh, it’s amazing things that you don’t think you will ever see. At my age, there’s not much time left, so I do what I want, when I want, if I want. That’s my philosophy.”

Her daughter, Heather Nunn, said staff approached her about arranging the visit.

“I thought it was wonderful. My mom’s always liked firefighters. And when the staff here came about and saying that they wanted to put this together for my mom, I was ecstatic,” Nunn said.

“I’m just so thankful to everyone here that put this together. Everybody here is awesome and to the firefighters of Station 7, they were awesome. They were so nice. They were asking her all kinds of questions and they were just very, very friendly. And they went out of their way for sure,” she said.

Nunn said her mother was beaming after the visit.

“She was very excited and she after that, she had a really nice long nap. So I’m sure she had some good dreams, haha!”

Sarah Overton, manager of community and volunteer engagement at the hospice, said the goal is to make residents feel as comfortable and fulfilled as possible.

“Hospice is a home. So whatever is going to make somebody feel more like home, we want to encourage. So that’s bringing in favourite things. So maybe for somebody it’s a pet to come visit. Or maybe if you love to do art we want to make sure you can do that. And if you love firefighters, well, we bring them in and make sure they have a visit with you.”

“We’re about creating those memorable moments for families. They can be together. They can enjoy the things they love without having to worry about the, you know, all the other stuff that’s going on.”

The visit comes as the hospice launches its 23rd annual Face to Face campaign — a month-long door-to-door fundraiser that supports the G.E.N.I.E. Program, short for Granting N’ Impactful Experiences.

The initiative provides transportation for patients to places such as family reunions, restaurants and local attractions, thanks to more than 40 EMS volunteers who give their time.

“If somebody wants to do a ride out to Point Pelee, or if they want to visit a favorite restaurant or go to a family reunion, we have over 40 EMS volunteers that volunteer their time, to come and take patients wherever they might want to go,” Overton said.

Campaign founder John Fairley said the fundraiser has become a Windsor-Essex tradition.

“Such an important part is funding, funding and more funding. This covers a whole area off. We know that every year it’s covered. They don’t have to worry about it. And they can also go ahead and do other things,” he said.

“The great thing about this campaign is we’re only asking for ten bucks from everybody.”

Fairley said the effort brings together first responders, community members, and even children.

“It’s not just one group. We’ve got EMS, we’ve got fire, we got police all a part of our kickoff. And everyone in the community is doing things. It’s kids having lemonade stands. It’s kids saying don’t give me birthday presents, I want to give to Face to Face. Anniversary celebrations. So after 22 years, people have got it all figured out. And it’s unique. And that’s what makes it special.”

Last year’s campaign raised $111,000 locally. Since it began, it has brought in $1.7 million for hospice programs in Windsor-Essex.

The 2025 Face to Face campaign will operate similarly to previous years, with canvassers able to collect donations both online and in-person.

More information on the campaign can be found by clicking here.

The campaign runs from Aug. 15 to Sept.30.

- With files from AM800