When Marina Winkler and her husband started their family, she couldn’t have felt better.
“Being a mom is the greatest joy,” she smiles, holding a picture of her younger self with her young son.
It’s an experience Marina felt compelled to share with those would couldn’t have it.
“There are so many, many women who struggle with infertility,” she says. “(I thought) maybe there’s something I can do.”
So she did some research and decided to donate her eggs. Although the international company she worked with kept the process private, Marina was told it was a success.
“It definitely felt amazing,” Marina smiles.
Marina was pregnant with her second child when the other family was expecting their second as well.
“That was the last time I heard,” she says.
Until almost a decade later.
Marina received a request for contact from the family and accepted a grateful email from the dad, Adam Sweeney, on behalf of him and his wife Sue.
“He wrote this was just her biggest joy being mom to these kids,” Marina says.
Adam called Sue an “amazing mom,” before writing that, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, she had died.
“To know she loved them unconditionally, and then they had to lose their mom,” Marina says, holding back tears. “(It was) heartbreaking to me.”
So, after discussing it with her family, Marina agreed to connect with Adam and the kids via a video-call, and asked where in the world they lived.
“You have got to be kidding me!” Marina recalls saying, after Adam told her his location. “We are three hours away from each other this whole time!”
So Marina and her family hit the road, to meet Adam and his, in person.
“It was great,” Adam smiles, showing pictures of countless smiling faces during their first visit. “It was so fun.”
“It was an instant connect,” Marina says.
“It felt meant to be,” Adam adds.
Since then, the adults have become the best of friends, and the kids, beloved siblings.
Both families spent Mother’s Day together at Marina’s place, creating a memorial garden for Sue.
“It’s to let the kids know their mom’s never going to be forgotten here,” Marina says. “Every time that they’re here, they know a little piece of their mom is right here with us.”
They also released biodegradable balloons containing hand-written messages of love and gratitude to Sue.
“I would hope she’s as happy as we are about it,” Adam smiles.
“I think she’s looking down and she’s proud,” Marina says.
Proud she worked so hard to have them. Proud she fought so hard to stay with them. And proud her unwavering love for them will keep growing.
For the first time in Canadian history, the federal government is enacting the Emergencies Act to bring the ongoing trucker convoy protests and blockades to an end.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made history by becoming the first leader of this country to invoke the federal Emergencies Act, to try to bring an end to the ongoing trucker convoy protests paralyzing Ottawa and border blockades. From compelling tow-truck drivers to haul out the big rigs, to freezing bank accounts, what does enacting the Emergencies Act mean? CTVNews.ca breaks down what you need to know.
Russia said Tuesday that some units participating in military exercises would begin returning to their bases, adding to glimmers of hope that the Kremlin may not be planning to invade Ukraine imminently. But it gave no details on where the troops were pulling back from, or how many.
Alberta RCMP officers have arrested 13 people and seized a number of weapons including guns and body armour near the Coutts border crossing blockade.
If forced to choose, Novak Djokovic said he would skip the French Open and Wimbledon, forgoing the chance to overtake Rafael Nadal's record haul of 21 Grand Slams titles, rather than get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The federal government has announced that crowdfunding platforms will now have to comply with Canada's financial reporting rules, and is authorizing banks to freeze accounts it suspects to be involved with the Freedom Convoy's 'illegal blockades.'
A clearer picture of who has donated to a crowdfunding platform is emerging after a leak of some 92,000 donors, showing a substantial base of American support for the Canadian protest, coded keywords for fringe U.S. movements, and genuine grassroots Canadian support.
Faced with plunging approval numbers and internal pushback to his leadership style and substance, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs a fast and big win over the trucker protests or his leadership is cooked, Don Martin writes in his latest column for CTVNews.ca.
Here's a look at some of the 2022 Winter Games events you may have missed overnight on day 11 in Beijing.
Indoor seated venues have been allowed to remain open during the Omicron wave in British Columbia – but for nearly two months, they’ve had to maintain a 50 per cent capacity limit, and that’s been devastating for their bottom line.
A well-known Vancouver statue was toppled over and defaced by some participants of the 31st annual Women's Memorial March on Monday.
For the first time in Canadian history, the federal government is enacting the Emergencies Act to bring the ongoing trucker convoy protests and blockades to an end.
The deaths reported on Monday occurred over several days, including one in January, and bring the number of fatalities in individuals under 40 years old up to 65 since the start of the pandemic.
Alberta's premier has formed a team tasked with saving his leadership in the governing party, as he attempts to overmatch the votes of people who he says are supporting protest convoys.
Christine de Bruin earned a bronze medal while competing in women's monobob in Beijing on Monday.
Ontario will move to the next step of its COVID-19 reopening plan four days ahead of schedule and will lift proof of vaccination requirements next month.
For the first time in Canadian history, the federal government is enacting the Emergencies Act to bring the ongoing trucker convoy protests and blockades to an end.
A Grade 12 student is dead after a shooting inside a Scarborough high school on Monday afternoon.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he respects the decision of the federal government to invoke for the first time ever the Emergencies Act, but it doesn’t mean he supports it.
One person has been fired and police are investigating after video surfaced showing a man being assaulted by a uniformed security guard outside a Calgary grocery store.
The deaths reported on Monday occurred over several days, including one in January, and bring the number of fatalities in individuals under 40 years old up to 65 since the start of the pandemic.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said there may not be a need for proof of vaccination for much longer, and that it's time to heal divisions — also saying he doesn't want the Emergencies Act used in Quebec.
For the first time in Canadian history, the federal government is enacting the Emergencies Act to bring the ongoing trucker convoy protests and blockades to an end.
A mixed bag of precipitation is expected to hit parts of Quebec Wednesday.
For the first time in Canadian history, the federal government is enacting the Emergencies Act to bring the ongoing trucker convoy protests and blockades to an end.
It's a snow day for students across Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. All public schools and some colleges and universities are closed in both provinces as a snowstorm sweeps through the region.
Nova Scotia entered phase one of its three step reopening plan on Monday, Feb. 14.
An investigation into stolen power tools from a Manitoba construction site led RCMP to discover over $80,000 in stolen tools from multiple sites.
With the end of Manitoba's COVID-19 restrictions in sight, businesses owners are planning how they will proceed once the mandates finish.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made history by becoming the first leader of this country to invoke the federal Emergencies Act, to try to bring an end to the ongoing trucker convoy protests paralyzing Ottawa and border blockades. From compelling tow-truck drivers to haul out the big rigs, to freezing bank accounts, what does enacting the Emergencies Act mean? CTVNews.ca breaks down what you need to know.
Businesses in Waterloo Region, Guelph and Wellington County are preparing for changes to capacity limits and proof-of-vaccination requirements.
Two more deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in Waterloo Region over the weekend.
Ontario will move to the next step of its COVID-19 reopening plan four days ahead of schedule and will lift proof of vaccination requirements next month.
A southeast Saskatchewan First Nation will be sharing the findings of a ground penetrating radar search of the grounds of a former residential school.
Some doctors in Saskatchewan are expecting hospitalizations to surge higher as COVID-19 public health measures lift in the province.
The atmosphere is gearing up to bring more snow and wind across the province this week which could lead to some hazardous driving conditions throughout.
Up to five centimetres of snow is expected to fall in the Barrie, Collingwood and Hillsdale areas.
Barrie’s Heritage Committee presents the awards annually to buildings, individuals and groups who have contributed to preserving community heritage.
Seven months after a powerful tornado tore through a Barrie community, the scars remain visible, with several homes still uninhabitable, leaving those homeowners feeling forgotten.
Police were called to a Saskatoon hospital after man was reportedly shouting at staff while holding a device.
In a letter to city council, a Saskatoon developer argues the city's downtown area is "dying" and outlines the ways he thinks it could be "fixed."
The City of Saskatoon has completed more than 60 per cent of rut shaving on residential streets, according to a Monday news release.
Well-known Manitoulin Island curler Jordan Chandler has competed against Brad Jacobs at the last 10 provincial championships but this year they were on the same team.
Timmins firefighters were called to Eacom Timber early Monday morning after a fire broke out, officials say.
Ontario will move to the next step of its COVID-19 reopening plan four days ahead of schedule and will lift proof of vaccination requirements next month.
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