Bruno MITAL

MITAL, Bruno
1964 - 2014
In the early hours of Sunday morning, July 20, 2014, Montreal lost one of the most positive people on the planet...as well as an awesome Elvis impersonator.
Bruno Mital was a beautiful soul whose day was not complete unless he made several people laugh and countless others feel good about themselves. He died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 49.
He was known for his non-judgemental acceptance and respect for everyone who crossed his path, his three-cheek kisses, booming radio voice and incredible love of life. As his wife said, "Bruno is the happiest stage IV pancreatic cancer patient doctors have ever met." He was also very philosophical about his diagnosis. "The luckiest guy in the world just got unlucky," he said.
Throughout his 16-month battle, he was brave, stoic and unflinching in his determination to "kick this cancer in the butt."
With his ability to inspire and motivate people, Bruno devoted most of his working life to non-profit organizations such as Kids Help Phone and CCS. Most recently, he focused on his greatest passion, helping others achieve their dreams through his work as a life coach and mentor. He maintained strong links with Dawson College throughout his life and was the chair of Dawson's Board of Governors for almost three years, until his diagnosis of cancer.
Bruno's death will leave a massive hole in the lives of hundreds of people who loved his spirit, his exuberance and optimism. He will be desperately missed by his soul mate and partner of almost 25 years, Kelly Wilton, and their beloved 8-year-old son, Max Garth Mital. His memory will be cherished by his parents Jacques and Marie-Martine Mital; brother Pierre Mital (Melanie Nixon) and children Kayleigh, Sienna and Juliet; sister Brigitte Mital (Romolo Finelli) and children Marina and Nicolas; and his cousin Sibylle Aussems.
He was a son, brother and friend to his "other family," mother-in-law Pat Wilton; sisters- in-law Naomi Wilton (David Walker) and their son Ryan, Katherine Wilton (Niall Crotty) and their children Eric and Sarah. He will be fondly remembered by his extended family in France, Western Canada and Northern Ireland. He was predeceased by his father-in- law, Garth Wilton.
His family would like to thank the oncology staff at the Jewish General Hospital for putting up with his quirky humour and occasional swear words (he was a man not afraid of death but terrified of those needles nurses kept poking him with). We would especially like to thank his oncologist Dr. Petr Kavan, who we all trusted implicitly with Bruno's care, nurse Daphnée LAmoussenéry for being as positive and hopeful as the rest of his "army" as well as the staff at the CLSC de Benny Farm.
We greatly appreciated the compassionate care Bruno received from the doctors, nurses, orderlies and volunteers at the Palliative Care Unit of the Montreal General Hospital. Dr. Krista Lawlor's gentle approach made a very tough time bearable and Dr. Manuel Borod's guidance helped us make difficult decisions near the end.
In the final weeks of Bruno's illness, he had to undergo a blood transfusion and we learned of his blood type for the first time. It was "B positive."
The date, time and location of the Memorial to celebrate Bruno's life will be announced in The Gazette on Saturday, August 23, 2014. Donations can be made to the oncology department of the Jewish General Hospital or the Palliative Care Unit of the Montreal General Hospital.