“COVID accelerated our decision”
This is a story of community, COVID-19, and a pair of new lungs. Close to five years ago, New Edinburgh resident Kenny Douglas had a double lung transplant. When his wife, Sally, drove him back into the neighbourhood after a three-month hospital stay in Toronto, kids were spilling out into the street waving “Welcome Home” signs. Friends gathered, cheering in droves as the street party erupted.
Community support for the Douglas family — Sally, Kenny, and their two sons — was strong. “New Edinburgh taught me the value of community,” says Sally. “The neighbourhood looked after us.”
When the idea of moving out of the city came up for discussion, Sally, who is a co-founder of communications company GSD & Co., was heartbroken. The couple moved 19 times in 23 years thanks in large part to Kenny’s service in the army. New Edinburgh had been their home for 15 years. Their children went to Rockcliffe Park Public School and grew up in the ’hood. Sally’s closest friends lived nearby, including Jill Stubbe, who had initially lured her to the neighbourhood. But when COVID-19 hit in March, Kenny’s compromised immune system and the worry and uncertainty of a disease that affects the lungs pushed them all apart. Kenny moved out of the city up to Chelsea, where he lived in an Airbnb in isolation for two months. Upon his return to the city, Sally and the boys moved out. They didn’t move back in together until late summer and, by that time, had made the decision to move.
“COVID accelerated our decision,” explains Sally. “We were coming to the end of a chapter anyway. The boys are grown up, and we were living in the city for me, really, as I had wanted to be near my children while working. The only thing keeping me was my neighbours.” But with children leaving the nest and a husband who really cannot take the risk of contracting COVID-19, the moment had arrived.
They listed their 100-year-old Crichton Street house, complete with a garden that backs directly onto Stanley Park, in September with local agent
Paul Jackson. He posted a “Coming Soon” sign outside and, on the day it went on sale, had 30 viewings lined up. The first person through the door made an unconditional offer.
In November, Sally and Kenny moved to a contemporary house in Chelsea on a two-acre lot with views to the Gatineau River. “I really wanted to be on or near the water. We looked at Perth and Montebello, which we decided was too far, before this place on the near side of Wakefield came up. When we arrived at the house, we knew it was the one almost before we went through the front door.” There are walking trails through the woodland all around them, it’s quiet, and there’s plenty of space. “Everyone’s happier,” reports Sally.
“I’ve realized that community isn’t about where you live — it’s about the people, and I still have those relationships. I just have to drive 18 minutes to Ottawa. I also know that we’ll build great relationships here once we get through COVID,” says Sally of her new neighbours, who have been incredibly welcoming. “Every move has its own story. This one worked out better than I could have hoped.”