Obituary of Heather Nguyen MacDonald

The family of Heather Nguyen MacDonald is deeply saddened to announce that, after a courageous battle with cancer, Heather passed away on June 29, 2013 at home. She was 38 years old. To mourn but celebrate her life, she leaves behind her loving husband Yvon Comeau, and their precious daughter, Mai. She is survived by her mother Carolyn (Vance) MacDonald; brother, Kevin (Sara De Leon); niece, Anna; nephew, Luis, Winnipeg, Man.; sister, Alison (Chris Deal), Halifax; aunts and many cousins; Yvon’s parents, Eddie and Yvonne Comeau, Meteghan; sister-in-law, Jocelyne (Paul) Comeau; nephews, Simon and Leon, Meteghan; sister-in-law Lisa (François Bidal0; nephew, Christian, Russell, Ont.; brothers-in-law, Marc (Roátan), Honduras, and André, Okeover Inlet, B.C.; as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. She was predeceased by her father, Rev. Alex MacDonald, and her uncles. Heather was born in July, 1974, in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Caught in the horror of war, she was rescued and cared for the USA-based “Sisters of Loretto”, first in Can Tho, then in New Haven Nursery. As Saigon fell, she was evacuated at age nine months. Heather survived a plane crash during that airlift; her story was told in the CBC documentary, “Falling from the Sky”, shown on The Passionate Eye. She was joyfully welcomed in Montreal by her adoptive family. They subsequently lived in Cape Breton and New Glasgow, where she made many treasured, lifelong friends. She went on to earn a BA in English and Sociology at Acadia University and a BJ at the University of King’s College. Over the years, Heather worked for a variety of news, entertainment, literary and reference publications such as This Magazine, Nimbus Publishing, and the Oxford University Press, as a writer and editor. Her devotion to the written word continued as she became a happy bookseller and later an ESL teacher while in Toronto and Montreal. Heather especially enjoyed making a home with Yvon, their furry friends Wilson, Nellie and Ping, and later, with their dear baby Mai. When cancer struck Heather in April, 2012, they returned to Nova Scotia, “where friends can visit and we can see the ocean.” Despite the ensuing health battle, Heather calmly faced each day with her incredible determination, focused on and energized by Yvon and “my Mai.” Thank you to the QEII Cancer Centre Team, especially Dr. Bruce Colwell; the Palliative Care team; Continuing Care; and VON, who enabled Heather to manage at home; also, nanny Angilique, for helping with Mai’s care during this difficult time. We deeply appreciate the many special friends who came often and travelled many miles to visit. The support by the many others who offered prayers, thoughts, food, gifts and love will be gratefully remembered. A service to celebrate Heather’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pancreatic Cancer Canada. “This body is not me. I am not limited by this body. I am life without boundries… So laugh with me, hold my hand, let us say good-bye say good-bye, to meet against soon.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh