Nicole Genevieve Tourangeau

Above all, Nicole dreamed of becoming a mother. Nicole loved babies and children- and they loved her. That dream of motherhood never faded. There’s no doubt that she would have loved her own child as fiercely as we loved her. Nicole also loved animals and music. In Nicole’s early adolescent years she was a natural athlete, excelling in track and field, training alongside an Olympian who believed in her potential.

At the age of 15, Nicole began showing signs of mental illness. Initially, she entered Queen Alexandria Children’s Hospital. Upon turning 18, she was transferred into the adult mental health system. Now followed periods of illness and wellness and a multitude of treatments and hospitalizations. The suffering that Nicole endured - mental, emotional and physical, led her in her late 20’s down a dark path offering her a way to escape her pain. Yet even in the darkness, Nicole saw the light in forgiveness and trust.

Nicole leaves her mother, Georgina, father Dan, step-dad Dave, older sister Michelle, brother in-law Nathan and young nieces Madeleine and Ava, Nana Noel and step-siblings Kevin and Andrea alongside many other relatives - uncles, aunts, cousins and friends to remember her zest in times of wellness, her squeals of laughter, her bounciness, her amazing sense of fashion that overflowed closets and containers, her generosity in finding gifts and trinkets and making art for those she loved. We all feel her loss acutely and will forever hold her memory in our hearts.

The current mental health system failed Nicole with too little, too late. But within the system there were individuals who worked hard and tried their best to support and help Nicole. Her family would like to acknowledge the ACT TEAM, in particular, Christopher Silvester. He worked with Nicole for several years doing his utmost to shepherd Nicole towards wellness and a happy, productive life. Nicole felt the caring and compassion that Christopher provided and had great respect for him. She truly wanted to reach the goals that she set for herself with Christopher’s help.

Nicole left this earth far too soon. She died, another victim of the poisoned drug supply known as the opioid crisis currently raging through our province and our country. This crisis was declared an emergency five years ago but tragically so little has been done to address both it and the need for safe supply. Thousands of young lives have been lost leaving thousands of families broken and grieving - in BC alone.

In closing, Nicole loved to go to the beach. We would walk down through the quiet of Ross Bay Cemetery to the ocean, listening to the crash of the waves and the sounds of seagulls soaring overhead. Nicole would often ask “Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to be a bird”?

And so, with love we say “Open your wings and fly Nicole, you’re free now”.

“And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief;”

- William Cullen Bryant