SAMANTHA ALBERT

ALBERT, SAMANTHA Everyone loved Sam. Her kindness, her empathy and her loving spirit made each person she met feel special. There were so many interests: her family, her writing, her Tai Chi and the community of close friends she created. Sam wove these strands together into the dazzling tapestry that was her life. 21 years ago, Sam was diagnosed with a rare and incurable illness with a prognosis of 5 years. Over those 21 years, with the unconditional love and help of her life-partner Daniel, she showed us how to "learn to live with the life that I have, rather than the life I had hoped for". On her frequent visits to the Stratford Hospital Emergency room she always managed to lift the spirits of the doctors and nurses, as many of them told us. During this time she completed a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Non-Fiction at UBC and prepared the manuscript of a book about living with illness that is awaiting publication. Sam died on April 16, 2021 at age 53. Those who mourn Samantha most profoundly are her husband Daniel Shoag, her beautiful son Zev, her mother Roberta who provided so much care and support together with her sisters Shelley (Cindy Grief) and Lori (Joel Yaphe), her parents-in-law Leon and Barbara Shoag, brother-in-law Mike (Elizabeth) and sister-in-law Rebecca. Dear nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles and her many, many friends will deeply miss Sam's presence in their lives. She was predeceased by her father Hank in 1994. We will be forever grateful for the incredible care provided by Dr. Donna Reece at PMH, the wonderful staff at Stratford General Hospital and Barb Orchard, her friend and PSW who provided so much help for Sam in the last year. A small, family graveside service was held in Stratford. Those wishing to honour Sam's memory can make a donation to the Amyloidosis Research and Awareness Fund through the Princess Margaret Foundation (thepmcf.ca); Stratford General Hospital Foundation (sghfoundation.org); The Taoist Tai Chi Society (taoist.org).