The Erie Shores Health Foundation will hold its annual Run and Roll on Sunday, May 4 and participants are getting ready to run, walk or bike their way through the various courses, which will begin at the Hospice Erie Shores property on Talbot Street West in Leamington. The day will feature a 5k walk/run/stroll, a timed 5k run, a 25k bike tour and the kids dash, known as the Roadrunner Race.
Individuals and teams have pre-registered and obtained donations to help the cause and the foundation is honouring 63 people at this year’s event. The 2024 event raised $140,000.
One of those being honoured this year is the late Meghan Morin, who passed away May 28, 2024 at the age of 24.
Her team – Meghan’s Mob – will be out in full force to support the Hospice Erie Shores Campus in honour of their beloved friend, daughter and sibling.
Meghan was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in November of 2021 during the height of the COVID pandemic.
Her mom Michelle spoke to the Sun last week about Meghan’s infectious personality, her faith and her zest for life — as well as her Hospice journey, which Michelle says was a godsend.
Meghan also developed brain cancer, skin cancer and ovarian cancer before her passing.
During her four-hour brain surgery in 2022, she was awake for the whole operation, where the doctors asked her to sing a song — a common practice to determine if the procedure is effective as they are doing it.
“Most people sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” says Michelle. “Meghan sang Here Comes The Sun and knew every word.”
She also prayed during the surgery, a testament to her deep faith in God, which was a central part of her journey.
Her mom recalls a day in 2022 when Meghan received a call from her doctor, telling her that her brain cancer was in remission. The joy she showed while on that call really brought home the “here comes the sun” attitude that she carried with her.
For the upcoming Run and Roll event, Michelle had 18 hats embroidered with the words “Here Comes The Sun” as a nod to her daughter and a life well-lived with positivity and kindness to others.
“Meghan lived a life that was incredible,” she said. “She was the most forgiving person I ever met.”
Hogs for Hospice even gave her four tickets to the Jake Owen concert in August of 2023 and Michelle says they had a great night as a family.
“She was pretty sick, but she wanted to go,” she says. “She had a great time that night. It was great to see her be a kid again.”
Popular amongst friends, family — and even strangers — Meghan brought a smile to all of their faces. Her friends’ group was large and spanned the whole country.
When it came time for Meghan to go to Hospice last year, she wanted to see the place first, so they arranged for her to have a tour of the building and the incredible grounds.
“When we got out to the gazebo, two of her close friends were there waiting for us,” says Michelle. “They had come from across the country and she was so happy to see them.”
Just before leaving home for Hospice, she and her mom had a conversation that Meghan wanted recorded and played at her funeral service.
She spent eight days in Hospice and passed away the morning of May 28 last year. Over the course of her illness, she endured 1,104 hours of chemotherapy, 10 rounds of radiation, several surgeries and a round of immunotherapy.
“The very last thing she said to me was ‘I’m getting excited to go,’ ” says her mom.
She had a huge honour guard at Hospice on the morning of her passing. Michelle says that she touched so many lives that people were leaving work just to be there.
“Everybody always wanted to be around her,” she said. “I’m so grateful for Hospice.”
Michelle says that the family’s experience with Hospice was incredible, and so they feel the right way to honour Meghan is to help Hospice as much as they can. She and her husband Reg and Meghan’s sister Maddy are eternally grateful for the hospice experience.
After her passing, her friends group bought a commemorative bench in Meghan’s name that sits on the boardwalk tower at Point Pelee National Park — one of her favourite places to visit. There is a second bench in her name at Kennedy Woods near Jack Miner’s.
Her friends also received hearts with Meghan’s thumbprint on them — something Meghan set up so she’d be able to be there for their weddings and other life events.
If you’d like to learn more about Meghan’s journey, visit app.remember-well.com/medallion/3257_MEMO/view/aboutme.
Meanwhile, organizers of the Run and Roll can’t wait to greet participants and their families on Sunday morning.
“We cannot wait to welcome over 700 participants to walk, run and ride for their community or in special honour of their loved ones,” says Erie Shores Health Foundation Executive Director Penny Bellhouse. “Run and Roll features a Cinco de Mayo theme, complimentary goodies in our piazza, live music, a kids zone, and so much more fun for the whole family! Funds raised at this event support patient care at Hospice Erie Shores and equipment updates at Erie Shores HealthCare.”
You can still register to participate until May 1 at runandroll.raceroster.com.
To make a donation to Run and Roll, visit eshf.ca/event/eshf-run-and-roll.
The heart with Meghan Morin’s thumbprints, made special for her friends and family.
Photo courtesy of the Morin family
The 2024 Run and Roll Memory Wall. This year, the Foundation is honouring 63 people on the wall.
Sun Archives photo
