Remembering Andrew Murray at Hallowe'en

The staff and patients in the Dialysis Unit are a special family. They see each other for several hours, three times a week, and form tight bonds.

Such is the case with the Murrays.

For many years, Aileen and Dave Murray and many dedicated family, friends and community care staff drove their son, Andrew, from Balsam Lake to Peterborough for his dialysis treatments. It was a 160 km round trip three days a week, so understandably, they were thrilled when Andrew was able to be dialyzed at the Ross Memorial when a temporary dialysis unit was launched in 2007.

Andrew and his family loved the family feeling that extended to the small unit, which was often decorated for theme parties with staff and patients dressing up and celebrating. The Murrays were so happy to be a part of the Ross family, they helped to fundraise for the hospital’s new 15-station dialysis unit by sharing their story during the ‘On the Horizon’ campaign.

Andrew died October 25th, just before Hallowe’en in 2007. When he knew he was in his final days, he told his mother and sister he felt badly that he would miss the Hallowe’en party in the Dialysis Unit. He had wanted to bring in a box of Mars bars, because that was the energy food that Nancy Green advertised as a source of energy for Olympic level skiing.

So every year at Hallowe’en, the Murray family comes back to visit their Dialysis Unit family. They give the staff a big hug, and a box of Mars bars.

Andrew Murray’s legacy is a sweet one.