Tim Thibault always wanted a party for no other reason than to bring the community together around a common love of music.
For Tim, the party had to come sooner rather than later after he was diagnosed with cancer.
The ‘Boldt-Hemian Rhapsody Cabaret became more than just bringing the community together, with 300 people gathered at the Humboldt Legion on Jan. 6, but also about bringing everyone together around a love for Tim and his family.
“People started to get behind something that they believe in,” says Tim. “It wasn’t anything we were asking for but people stepping up themselves.”
While there were plenty of donations of silent auction and raffle items, as well as a 50/50 draw, everyone came together around the music, says Tim.
Five bands, including Humboldt’s own Horse’s Mouth, 40 oz. Philosophy, and One Track Mind, rocked the cabaret stage along with Twang Rebels, before Codie Prevost and his band took to the stage to wrap up the evening.
Prevost has known Tim and his wife, Marina, for over a decade with Prevost hiring the pair as his first sound production crew when his career started to pick up.
“They were always the first ones there and the last ones to leave. Such hardworking people and incredible friends...now seeing what Tim and his family are going through, I’m here to support them and it’s an honour to be here.”
It is an unfortunate reason to be gathered for a party, Prevost says, but it is a refreshing experience to see everyone rally together for a family needing help. That’s love, says Prevost.
Tim has been a person who would literally give you the shirt off his back, says Brian Grest, who took over organizational duties from Tim and his family in order for them to focus on treating his cancer.
“He’s a deep and caring human being. It’s the least I could do to help him when he’s in time of need.”
The night was one for Tim to sit back and enjoy with many people pitching in to help sell tickets, serve food, and clean up.
Getting everyone together was the easy part for Grest, he says, since everyone jumped on board to help in anyway they could.
That is an indication of how Tim is respected, says Grest, with people coming from all over Saskatchewan to celebrate Tim.
His journey with cancer started after noticing a sore spot on his breast one day that was not healing as fast as it should. From there it has been a roller coaster ride, says Tim, as he has gone from X-rays to mammograms to CT Scans.
“Initially, they thought it was a small cancer. They confirmed that it was but it felt very treatable. The prognosis was not a dire prognosis. Within a weeks time...we were fighting for our lives.”
Doctors have given him an estimated three to six months left to live with his cancer growing rapidly. How fast the cancer is growing is surprising even for members of his cancer team, says Tim.
“Even my radiologist is not used to seeing this, it’s that fast.”
Tim’s cancer journey is about more than just the pretty ribbons, he says, with the reality of what he is going through being starkly different than how cancer is advertised.
With issues that he has been having with getting in for treatments, Tim has been seeing money in the wrong places.
“I’m not saying places don’t do good things but there’s other areas that it needs to be concentrated on...We need treatments. We need front line workers to help these people for support and everything else.”
Besides chemotherapy and talking with specialists about treatment options, Tim is also going down an alternative therapy route with immunotherapy and Ozone Therapy, something that helped his father fight and beat a grim cancer diagnosis.
No matter what the outcome, Tim says you have to approach something like this with a positive and straightforward attitude, especially when it comes to preparing for a possible end.
“Our conversations in our household is very blunt, they’re head on. My wife, my kids, and my other family are prepared the best they can be no matter the outcome and they know what my wishes are.”
While cancer support has been there for Tim and his family, the community has been his support, he says.
With everything that is going on, his bucket list is done, says Tim. He wants to do nothing more with his life than to focus on the important things in life, like spend time with his family and friends.
He can be an advocate for that, that is how he is going to spend his time, he says.
“If I can be a resource for that, if people want to talk to be about that, I’m all for it. I will share whatever I can from my experience and hopefully it’s a positive experience.”
