I’ve had the privilege of knowing Lindsay for the past year and a half’ We began as medical school classmates but quickly developed a strong friendship’ I am honored to be the one to tell you a little about the Lindsay that the Class of 2009 affectionately known as the Macaques has known and loved’ The U of C med school has many traditions including the creation of class hockey jerseys and nicknaming of each student. Monumental was Lindsay’s jersey name and was originally meant to tease her about a crush she had on one of our preceptors. Little did we know it would become a testament to how Lindsay lived her life.
Lindsay was monumental in her generosity. The first party she hosted was a Thanksgiving dinner in Cochrane for classmates that were not able to be with their families. She insisted on preparing everything herself and refused to accept money to offset the cost of groceries and the end result was always an incredible meal. Recognizing that even more people would attend if celebrated prior to the holidays the infamous “pre-parties” began and they continued even up until that final Sunday.
Lindsay was monumental in her perseverance. Lindsay, I and two other classmates naively signed up to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro this past summer. Plagued by stomach upset, bronchitis and altitude sickness Linds made it to within minutes from the top before collapsing. I asked her if we should turn back but she insisted, “I want to go on.” I took her hand and we counted steps 5 at a time until finally we reached the summit. Lindsay was thankful for pictures at the top so that she could prove to everyone and especially herself that she had actually made it.
Lindsay was monumental in her love of hockey. Lindsay was the natural choice for Macaque team captain. She took on the truly daunting task of molding 25 girls, none of whom had ever held a hockey stick and formed them into a powerful team. On Tuesday, February 12th she was filled with pride at her classmates incredible performance. She led the team to their first win ever which was particularly sweet as it was against the 1st year class. This we hope will be the beginning of a trend.
Lindsay was monumental in the gift of her time. Between taking on a student council position midyear, sitting on numerous committees and clubs and continuing to play various forms of hockey on no less than three teams at a time Lindsay was overcommitted to say the least. Despite this she still insisted on planning the next big get together or trip and always took time to support her friends especially if it was over a beer.
Lindsay was monumental in her enthusiasm. She would shop for days to find just the right props for her dressup parties, most recently pirates and wenches. She was crazy about hockey games both her own and of course her Flames and she raved about a wine that even after extensive research she found was only available at Banff’s Maple Leaf Grill. Yes Lindsay was definitely enthusiastic. In fact she would often be so overcome with her enthusiasm she would blurt things out even if someone else happened to be talking at the same time just so that the thought wouldn’t be lost. Her enthusiasm was contagious and probably one of the most memorable aspects of Linds.
Lindsay was monumental in her love of life. She never let an opportunity for a good time pass her by whether it be going to a concert until 1am the night before a big exam. encouraging anyone and everyone to experience their first shotski. signing up unsuccessfully weekend after weekend for paragliding or of course the countless Friday afternoons at Mooses’ the local pub across from the hospital. Lindsay loved to live it up and she was never just a part of the celebration, she was the heart of it.
Lindsay was monumental in her humour. She had a fantastic ability to laugh at herself. She never missed an opportunity to tell her buddies or anyone within earshot the latest in a string of her humorous events whether it was negotiating stairwells or escalators, wearing her beloved novelty T-shirts, enlightening us on the circumstances surrounding the loss of yet another cell phone or her uncanny ability to maneuver through parking lots to avoid payment. Her laughter and quick wit would win over anyone she met.
For all of these reasons and so many more we loved Lindsay dearly and she will be greatly missed. We will carry our memories of her into clerkship and beyond and are thankful for what little time we had with her.
I can honestly say that the last year and half of my life with Linds has been without a doubt “monumental.”
