A man whose dying wish was to return home to Nova Scotia has passed away after a battle with cancer.
Cameron Conrad was working in Alberta in November when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
The 57-year-old wanted to return to Musquodoboit Harbour, N.S., so he could die at home, but transporting Conrad across the country proved challenging.
He couldn’t take a regular flight, and getting him a special air transport would have cost about $47,000.
“It was just amazing and when we reached that mark and we finally realized that he was coming home, it was just kind of surreal,” explains Cameron’s sister Juanita Martin.
Hoping to fulfill his dying wish, Conrad’s family set up a GoFundMe page and hundreds of Canadians responded with donations after his story was shared on social media.
“I couldn’t believe it, I still can’t believe it,” says Peter Conrad, Cameron’s brother. “The amount of people who put out their money to someone they didn’t even know.”
A CTV News viewer in Edmonton also saw Conrad’s story and called his son, who owns and operates Advanced Paramedic Ltd, a medevac business.
With his help and the help of generous Canadians, Conrad was able to fly home on Feb. 4.
His family has confirmed to CTV News that Conrad passed away Thursday evening, exactly two weeks after returning to Nova Scotia.
“There will be a hole there somewhere, a void,” explains Peter Conrad. “But I know he’s in a better place now.”
His family says he was grateful for the outpour of support and happy to have been able to return home.
“Just to have him at home, it was just so much easier for everybody in general,” says Juanita Martin. “To have him here with family who loved him, and that he was able to pass with his family and friends here.”
A celebration of Conrad's life is being planned for next week.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Caitlin Andrea
