WOMAN OF GRACE, GRIT
Former Star journalist Helen Henderson leaves a legacy that brought disability issues into the mainstream,
Former Toronto Star journalist and disabilities advocate Helen Henderson died Saturday of lung cancer at age 68.
Henderson, a Life section editor and disabilities columnist with the Star until her retirement in 2008, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in mid-February. She died in palliative care at Bridgepoint Health in the early hours of April 11, with her sister and only sibling, Lindsay Campbell, by her side.
“She was very philosophical and very calm and very dignified,” Campbell told the Star of her sister’s final moments. “Her response was basically, ‘I’ve done everything pretty much that I wanted to do. I’m very proud of what I’ve done in my life and if this is it, this is it.’ ”
Henderson was born in Scotland, May 11, 1946, the first child of James Henderson, an insurance executive, and Nan Henderson, a housewife. The family immigrated to Quebec in 1954, where Henderson attended Bishop’s University, earning the first of two English degrees. After a stint in Britain, Henderson moved to Toronto in 1971 and began writing for magazines.
“She always excelled in speech and language,” said Campbell, who re- members being in awe of her sister’s talent upon stumbling across a collection of short stories penned by Henderson in university. “I could never get the better of her in a conversation, she was very quick-witted. But if someone was coming at me, she would turn on them and annihilate them.”
Henderson began her career at the Star as a business reporter in the 1970s.
Former colleague Philip Jackman recalls being taken aback by Henderson when he first encountered her, a woman in glasses who looked “a little bit like a school teacher.”
“She was pounding away on her typewriter and swearing like a trooper because she’d been given some impossible story,” said Jackman. “I thought, ‘What a strange contrast between the way she looks and the way she’s acting.’ ”
The two became close friends. Jackman and his wife, Shannon, would have Henderson over for Friday dinners, where, aided by red wine, they would “get into all sorts of strange and wondrous discussions.”
“We’d solve all the world’s problems,” he said.
Both Campbell and Jackman describe Henderson as strong-willed and courageous. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1970s, according to her sister, which led her to pitch a disabilities column to the Star focusing on information and advocacy.
“She was a tireless champion for the disabled,” said Star reporter Louise Brown, and a “meticulous” editor.
Sandra Carpenter, executive director of the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT), characterized Henderson’s beat as instrumental in raising awareness about the challenges facing people with disabilities.
“She was able to connect with the grassroots issues and put them in the mainstream.”
After retiring, Henderson served as chair of the CILT board and attended the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University.
Those close to her say she faced her own health issues with grit, walking with a cane for many years before her condition required her to use a wheelchair.
“She drove a stick shift for as long she could, to try and keep her right hand as active as possible,” said Jackman. “She didn’t want it to define her,” added Campbell. Until her death, Henderson lived independently in an apartment in the Distillery District.
In her downtime, Henderson was a voracious reader and a baseball fan. In light of her cancer prognosis, Henderson was planning an early birthday party to give her a chance to say goodbye to her many friends.
“She dictated the guest list, she approved the menu and the venue and it had to be accessible — everything had to be accessible,” said Campbell.
The party is still slated for April 18, but will now serve as a celebration of Henderson’s life. A visitation will also be held Tuesday, April14 at Turner & Porter Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St. W. from 6-8 p.m.