Humans of Burnaby

Connecting our community through story-telling...

Inspired by Humans of New York, Humans of Burnaby is a collection of vignettes of the lives of people in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

By sharing the passions, joys, and challenges of different individuals, we hope to create a better understanding between citizens and form a stronger, and more compassionate community.

As advocates for those living in poverty and isolation, we especially strive to amplify the voices of those who often feel 'invisible'.

Follow us on Facebook (full story) and Instagram (snippets).

 


    • Evicted on Christmas Day (3 of 3)
    • Part 3/3: 

      "It’s been 18 months since my eviction and I’ve been in deep depression. Before all of this happened, I could do anything. Now, I can barely find the will to leave the house. I don’t have any holdings or extra money. I am paying $420 for a storage unit and that’s a lot of money for someone living on a pension. Some days, I just have a coffee and a 3 pieces of bread..."

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    • Evicted on Christmas Day (2 of 3)
    • Part 2/3:

      “The movers came and started throwing my things into the van. Glass and lamps were breaking. Then they threw my belongings on the front lawn and only brought them into the house when it started to rain. I walked in to find out that the room I just rented was occupied. I called immediately and he said, ‘Well, look, I’m starting to hear bells go off with you. Seems like you’re going to be a problem. Maybe you should go rent with someone else.’..."

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    • Evicted on Christmas Day (1 of 3)
    • Part 1/3:

      “After my landlord decided to sell, their realtor put an eviction notice on my door on Christmas Eve after making up some erroneous charges against me. I couldn’t believe that someone could do something so mean spirited. Because of the holiday season, it was difficult for me to find help right away..."

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    • I am 102 this year
    • "I’m 102 years old this year, born on August 30th, 1916 in Saskatchewan. I came out to BC in the beginning of the war in 1940, working as a waitress in the officer’s dining room. I started waitressing when I was 13 years old and I worked as a waitress all my life. 

      I met my husband Johnny when he left the army. A friend introduced us to each other and we got married in 1949. We bought a lot on Malvern Ave above Deer Lake for 100 something dollars. It used to be all farms and chicken coops there..."

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    • A Mother's Love (4 of 4)
    • Part 4/4:

      “Every day is such a challenge because I know what it was like to be a mom. The love a mom can have for their child is so immense. You won’t understand it until you experience it.

      When I saw Frankie for the first time, I thought, “Wow, now I know what everyone was talking about.”

      It must have been so hard for my parents to see me go through this. My family has been such a great support to me. There’s photos of Frankie all over our house and we visit his grave on his birthday every year..."

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    • A Mother's Love (3 of 4)
    • Part 3/4:

      “The kidney doctor came and told us that his kidneys were also failing and he asked us if we’d ever heard of mitochondria. We remembered the term from biology classes but nothing more. Basically, the mitochondria is what produces energy in our cells. Frankie’s were depleting at a very rapid rate. His major organs were shutting down.

      In the final MRI, it showed a lot more white matter in the brain than grey – his brain was slowly dying as well..."

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