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Former Nanaimo florist dedicates 'substantial' part of estate to B.C. Cancer

The former councillor serves as chair of the B.C. Cancer Foundation's Nanaimo Regional Advisory Council
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Jim Turley holds up informational flyers from the B.C. Cancer Foundation about the planned cancer centre in the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital set for construction in 2025. (Jessica Durling/News Bulletin)

The B.C. Cancer Foundation announced that a former Nanaimo florist and city councillor has dedicated a "substantial portion of his estate" to the foundation.

Jim Turley, whose wife Marianne died due to cancer in 2021, owned Turley's Florist on Terminal Avenue with her until 2018. Later that year, he was elected to city council, serving from 2018 to 2022, advocating during that time for a cancer centre in Nanaimo.

Currently, he has the role of chairperson of the B.C. Cancer Foundation's Nanaimo regional advisory council, serves as a member of the Rotary Club of Nanaimo and is involved with the organizing of next year's 55-Plus B.C. Games in Nanaimo. 

Turley said about a fourth of his estate is being donated, with most of that donation going to the B.C. Cancer Foundation and the rest to the Vancouver Island Symphony, which Marianne was heavily involved with during the last 20 years of her life.

"I'm fortunate, all three of my kids are doing very well for themselves," Turley told the News Bulletin. "So there will still be some for them as well, but I want to make sure I leave a legacy with the two organizations I care about."

Turley said his wife first started feeling unwell in late 2018, and nine months later she was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer. While gallbladder cancer is treatable if caught early on, the illness appeared gradually, and by the time it was diagnosed it had become terminal.

At first, she was reluctant to admit there was a serious health issue, which he believes caused a delay in its identification.

"So I asked her one day, 'what did you ask the doctor and what did the doctor say?' She said 'the doctor asked me how I was doing, I said not too bad,'" Turley recalled, adding that he went with her during the next appointment. "Same question, Marianne said, 'I'm fine' I said, 'you're not fine, tell the truth.'"

Following further tests, the illness was revealed, and the couple faced a 110 kilometre drive almost every Friday to Victoria for treatment. 

If Nanaimo had a cancer centre at the time, Turley believes the doctor may have been more likely to view it as cancer, due to the closer relationship with the oncologists in the community.

"She was my business partner, my best friend and the love of my life." 

Marianne isn't Jim's only personal connection to cancer, as his sister is a professor at Western University researching hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic acid receptors, tissue reconstruction, signalling, and mesenchymal and adipose derived stem cells – all potentially useful information in both cardiology and oncology. 

Turley said there are two messages he would like to get out, the first is that someone should advocate medically for themselves, and not assume they don't have cancer if they're not feeling well. If someone says they're fine and they're not, he said it has the potential to get worse.

"Little things, like when you have a heart attack, there are things you recognize," he said. "With cancer, it's a little more difficult but there are many, many things. If a doctor thinks it's this, then they do a test and find out it's not, they should be maybe looking at something in the cancer realm."

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, general symptoms of cancer include unexplained weight loss, unexplained fatigue and loss of appetite, but also includes specific signs and symptoms depending on which organs is affected. More information can be found at http://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/cancer-of-unknown-primary/signs-and-symptoms.

The second message is that no matter how small it is, every dollar donated counts.

"If someone has $5,000 they don't think they're going to need, this is a good project to put it behind," said Turley.

In a statement announcing his dedication, the B.C. Cancer Foundation said it wanted to underscore the importance of estate planning and the impact it can make on the community.

"Jim's story highlights the dual impact of thoughtful estate planning – providing peace of mind to loved ones and supporting vital community initiatives…" noted the statement. "Jim is a passionate advocate for donor support and wishes to inspire others to consider legacy gifts."

The foundation asked that those interested can contact Jordan McClymont at 250-415-1888 or jordan.mcclymont@bccancer.bc.ca

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Jessica Durling

About the Author: Jessica Durling

Nanaimo News Bulletin journalist covering health, wildlife and Lantzville council.
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