From: Kevin Kindred Subject: The latest on Hugo Date: September 17, 2023 at 16:17:50 ADT To: Lee-Anne Poole Cc: Quincy Russell , Anthony Black , Dorian Lang , Matthew Lumley , Lisa Buchanan , Lucas Thorne-Humphrey , Daniel MacKay , Bryden MacDonald , Mc Chisholm , Jeremy Webb , Owen Johnstone , Matt Numer , Sean Foreman , Kate Shewan Hey there, Hugo's friends, Hugo-nauts, Team Hugo. 😊 A bit of a challenging update here, please bear with me. If you haven't seen Hugo in a while, I want you to know that his condition is declining in an expected, and yet still heart-breaking way. When I visit him on Sundays, I still see the joy in his eyes in recognizing friends, remembering what we can of his life in the arts and activism, and singing along to songs we know. When we go out for a walk, he pauses to comment on the beauty of the flowers, trees, sky. He laughs at my jokes (even the ones no one else would laugh at,) and listens appreciatively when I read Oscar Wilde or Allen Ginsberg (clearly I have a type.) He consistently comments on the quality of the coffee (always black, no sugar.) But a lot has been lost. He struggles with communicating more than a word or two at a time, and a lot of my questions for him are met with silence. He doesn't have the attention to watch a movie anymore (though he listens closely to any Shakespeare I can find on YouTube.) He can't really sustain a phone call, as the concept of "phone call" seems to be less and less real to him. His deteriorating motor skills mean he has struggles with holding a pencil, walking on uneven ground, sitting and standing. It's a bright sliver of Hugo, contained in a falling, crumbling vessel. This will be the most guilt-trippy paragraph of this email. The biggest source of joy for Hugo right now is the visits he gets from friends, and those have been getting more rare. A good visit right now probably means stopping into Camp Hill with two coffees, reading a story or a poem to him, and maybe singing a show tune or a Beatles song (talent is not a barrier.) Expect to do most of the talking, but the singing and hugging are still 50\50 endeavours. An ambitious visit might add a walk in the garden at Camp Hill--easy to get to, he just needs some guidance to keep walking in a straight line. Getting out to the Public Gardens is an advanced move, but do-able with time and patience. A heads up to the staff will smooth things out. Here's the blunt part. The best time for a final meaningful interaction with Hugo was yesterday, and the second best time is now. He's not on his death bed, don't get me wrong. But while I don't know what this update is going to be like six months from now, I know for sure it's going to be a lot harder to write, and to read. If you have a bit more time in the next little while to visit Hugo, please reach out to me or to Lee-Anne to help facilitate (unless you've been to Camp Hill recently, in which case just do the same!) It's not complicated to visit, but we can let you know any recent details and also make sure it's a convenient time. Sent with lots of love, and a tiny drop of guilt-tripping, sandwiched in with another thick slice of love. 😊 Kevin