My friend Gyma

When I think about my friend Gyma, two words come to mind, fearlessness and fearfulness. You may ask how two such diverse words could exist in one person but to know her was to understand that her life was a quest for wholeness. Gyma was always motivated to try anything and everything whether she was afraid of the outcome or not.

In 1992, at age 42 armed with her new Georgian College nursing diploma and a rickety old Toyota she left Orillia, and headed for Toronto. She didn't get very far before The Toyota gave a final gasp and stalled on the highway.

Undeterred by a lack of a transport for the first time in her life, Gyma made her way to the city and found work with a nursing agency that brought her to Doctor's Hospital, now closed. She worked fearlessly, in all departments wherever shifts were available. She used a professional and innate knowledge of patient care that earned her a tremendous amount of respect. No challenge was too big or too small. She was particularly sensitive to children and palliative care patients. When hospital closures threatened her job security she took on any other work in the hospital and returned to learning as a way of increasing her skills in readiness for what ever was offered. At the time of her death she was employed at Stevenson memorial Hospital in Alliston.

Gyma Carlena Dawson RPN CAMT Earth Steward and Hearth Keeper
May 27, 1950 - March 31, 2005

Estsenetlehi's Story

I met Gyma shortly after her arrival at Doctor's Hospital. After a chance conversation and a shared lunch we worked our way into a very special relationship that changed both our lives. Good and lasting relationships are always intensely personal and complex. Gyma was my friend, confidante, sister, mother, counselor, supporter and colleague. I like to think that I fulfilled the same roles in her life but I am here today in celebration of her life, and to share my observations of her exemplary character, loving nature and caring personality.

Gyma had an incredible work ethic. If she didn't know, she found out. She didn't take chances with her patients and clients but she would go that extra mile for them.

This did not make her unpopular. Her colleagues respected her because she would go that extra mile for them too.

When I think about extra miles, I think about going places. Gyma and I traveled a lot. We both liked driving! We traveled east to Nova Scotia, west to Vancouver and Los Angeles, south to Florida and lots of spots in between Gyma did most of the driving. She would drive for hours through the night telling me to sleep and I did because I trusted her with my life. We drove through fog and rain tropical storms icy frigid snow storms and bright sunshine days. We drove on highways, winding mountain roads, dusty desert plains. and deserted back roads./ We drove over bridges which I hated and through tunnels which she hated. If she was afraid, I never knew until certain tapes were put in cassette player but she always drove fearlessly.

Gyma Dawson Centre for the Healing Arts, Singhampton Ontario

Preparation for trips were always a challenge. Gyma had fears of weather systems. She left her birthplace of California worried about the possibilities of earthquakes. Moving earth was just too unstable for her. Long before Tsunami became a front page word, Gyma could have told you all about earthquakes and tides. Her favourite station was the weather channel and her day always started and ended with reports from local and national services. She checked the weather in areas where I lived, her children and her parents lived so that she would know what was happening. Living in Singhamptom was an enormous challenge for her. Singhamptom has its own weather system that defies any local news reports but as expected Gyma began to sniff out the air and could know at a glance what could be expected. Long after neighbours were in bed and the roads were empty at night or early morning and through all seasons she could be seen making her way home fearlessly. With a special intuitive knowledge that was her gift, she somehow always knew when to drive and when to be safe. The car accident that preceded her death was uncharacteristic and seems to have occurred when she swerved to miss an animal.

Gyma had few dreams that remain unfulfilled as we celebrate her life here today. When I met her, a happy home life had eluded her for years. She longed for stability and grounding. She achieved her goal in 2001 with the purchase of a house in Singhampton which over the next four years she turned into a home.

Much of the décor was probably original 1901 but she worked hard, with skills she learned before nursing, to tear down and rebuild much of the inside to create that haven for herself and workspace for our Holistic Health Care business. She fearlessly climbed ladders, plastered walls, tore down shelves, plugged holes in siding, fixed windows, dug dirt and enlisted help when needed to make it a magical special place. One by one her wish list for the house became a reality.

In creating a home for herself, she felt able to work on the one area of her life which created the most sadness and fear. For deeply personal reasons, she spent years separated from her children. She admitted being afraid to try and renew contact with them but when an opportunity presented itself she seized the moment and faced each of them with all the love in her heart that she had saved for such a moment, such a possibility. In her own fearless way she was prepared for the worst but her honest and open love won over her children one by one. In this day and age where first names fly between people of all generations, the wives of her sons also embraced her openly calling her Mom and meaning it in every way. Over and over these past few days I have heard them say, how can we say goodbye when we only just said hello.

Longevity was not a gift to Gyma. Her rocking chair will sit idle by the fire she loved. In our many conversations, she admitted to having fears of dying prematurely. Those fears have, now been realized but she would have few regrets, for she lived life fully extracting all she could and embracing everything she could, fearlessly even when she was afraid. As I drove around town this past week, I noticed the flags at half mast for a beloved leader who passed. Today my heart is at half mast for a beloved friend. Her courage and her life lived is an inspiration to us all.

Read more of Gyma's story in: Estsenetlehi's Story

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