When Barbara Kennedy died in May of 2010 after a valiant fight with cancer, Christine Kennedy said goodbye to her mom and, at the same time, her hero.
A little more than four years later, Christine is on her way to turning that terrible loss into a potentially huge gain for her hometown of Prince George.
Christine, a high school basketball star at College Heights secondary who went on to play for McGill University and the University of Northern British Columbia, is now a first-year medical student. As part of UNBC's Northern Medical Program, she's currently taking the first four months of her studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She'll then return home for the remainder of her four-year program.
Upon graduation - and perhaps after further training to become a surgeon - she's intent on setting up shop here in Prince George.
"I absolutely believe I'm going to stay in Prince George," said Christine, 27. "I love Prince George so much. It's my home and [eight-year-old sister] Ceylyn's home. I'm interested in surgery.... What's really appealing to me is to be able to remove sickness - to be able to do cancer surgery."
For Christine, the path to becoming a doctor started with her mom's illness.
Prior to Barb Kennedy's diagnosis of colon cancer, Christine was planning to become a psychologist. But, while her mom was undergoing treatment, Christine realized she herself was starting to stray away from the idea of a future in psychology. Then, in the period of time after Barb passed away, Christine ceased work on her master's degree in psychology and started taking the prerequisites for medical school. When she applied for admission into the NMP, she was accepted.
"I think everyone that goes into medicine has a story," Christine said. "When I was with my mom through her treatment - and a big thing was her surgeons and just seeing the impact they had on our lives, just giving my mom so much more time with us - it was the first time I really felt a connection to a career.
"The more I learned, it was a career of continual learning, and being able to heal people was really appealing to me."
When Barb was informed she had cancer, she was told by her family doctor she had three months to live. But, through medical intervention and her own fierce resolve, she lasted almost two years. And she used her time to the fullest. On Jan. 30 of 2010, she even served as a torchbearer for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Despite the fact she had mobility problems at that point, she carried the flame approximately 300 metres in the town of Fraser Lake and was an inspiration to all who were present.
Christine was as proud as a daughter could be that particular day. In regards to her own decision to join the medical field, she said her mom would probably have the same feeling.
"I think about that a lot, about how proud I think she would be," Christine said. "[Being a doctor], it's about personal growth. You have to go through a lot - through schooling and learning how to deal with and help all different kinds of people. I think that my mom would be proud of the path that I chose to go down - or that found me, more like it."
Anybody who saw Christine play basketball for UNBC from 2009 to 2011 will remember her for her passion and no-quit attitude on the court. Perhaps because she didn't quite reach five-foot-three in a sport that places great value on height, she played her point guard position with an intensity few players could match. In her first season with the Timberwolves, she led the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association in assists, was named the league's player of the year and was also handed an All-Canadian award.
Jump to present day, and she's using her inner drive and brain power to conquer the tall challenge of medical school. So far, she's loving it. And, in congruence with her athletic background, she's finding there's a 'team' element to the whole experience.
"You'll go away and you'll do individual learning but then you come back and you discuss it within a group," said Christine, who is being mentored by Prince George doctor/surgeon Nadine Caron and is thankful for the advice, guidance and encouragement she is receiving. "Everyone brings back what they've learned, and then you learn so much more just from hearing other people's perspectives. It's a really different process than it was in [my] under-grad [studies], the way you're supposed to learn and how you're supposed to grasp material. It's exciting."
Another exciting thing for Christine is her recent engagement to high school sweetheart Colen Wilson. The couple hasn't yet decided on a wedding date but it will likely be after Christine completes medical school.
Right now, the two of them are separated by about 775 kilometres, as Colen is still in Prince George, taking a power engineering course at the College of New Caledonia. He's also helping to take care of young Ceylyn. Christine's other sister, 21-year-old Rachel, is living and working in Calgary.
Rachel has already taken to calling her big sis Dr. Kennedy.
"I think it sounds pretty good," Christine said with a chuckle.
With her strength of character, her intimate personal experience with the medical system and the memory of her mom always with her, Christine will make an outstanding doctor. Because of a dark time in her own life, she will save the lives of others.
Oh yes, Barb would be proud. No doubt about that at all.
