“Strangers come up and give me hugs and say thank you for treating my dad like a king.”
"My mom was a home support worker. Some days she’d come home crying and I would ask, “Why are you so upset?” And then I started doing the job. You get attached. People either get better or they pass on and the job ends. When I was younger, I used to attend a lot of weddings. These days I attend a lot of funerals. I’ll show up not knowing anyone, but everyone knows me. Strangers come up and give me hugs and say thank you for treating my dad like a king. These are big moments. Sometimes you’re the one rock in a person’s life that can make a difference. I feel blessed to do what I do.
I try to come up with rules about how to not talk about work. But I’m a people person. So how do I get away from it? I’m originally from Halifax and I used to work in tourism, so to unwind, I travel. I love staying in hotels. The free stuff is great. You know, the little coffees and teas. My girlfriend and I visit Mexico once a year and we often go on road trips… Jasper, Kamloops, Sicamous. We play games while driving. The first one who spots an animal wins."
– Byron Hiscock, Community Health Worker, Chilliwack