B.C. seniors keep love alive with romantic rides on wheelchair
Janice Foran will never forget the night her blind date picked her up in a Town Car and a tuxedo.
“The car didn’t impress me too much. It was rented,” Janice recalls with a smile. “But he owned that tux. That was impressive!”
Her date, Peter Foran, was a introverted banker. Although extroverted Janice worked for an accounting firm, her true passion was dancing.
“I would shuffle my feet at the company dance,” Peter says, before admitting he doesn’t like dancing at all.
Despite their differences, Janice and Peter started dating.
“There were butterflies in my stomach,” Janice says.
Eventually they said, “I do.”
“She is a life force that draws me out,” Peter says. “And I’m probably the steady locomotive that keeps us intact.”
After 44 years of marriage, Peter may no longer travel by Town Car, but he’s still taking Janice out on dates.
Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Peter takes Janice for romantic rides on his wheelchair. They travel along the city’s bike lanes and waterfront paths, with her sitting sideways across his lap, her arm draped around his neck.
“Peter is a gentleman in every sense of the word,” Janice smiles.
Although he can’t do things like open a door for her anymore, Janice says he’s never stopped making her feel like a lady.
“He says he’s got his treasure on his lap!” Janice smiles.
When his neurologist suggested that MS should stand for “missing spouse” — because of the distance it can cause between a couple — Peter encouraged Janice join a dance society so he could support her passion from the sidelines.
“I tried it get along with her dance crowd,” Peter says. “Which is not a banker’s crowd.”
Until Peter found a way to turn her crowd into his audience.
Peter and Janice collaborated with her dance instructor to choreograph a performance that included his wheelchair.
“It was just brilliant. Just amazing,” Janice says it was just about the most loving thing he could do.
“Every day is a blessing with him.”
The couple recently moved from Victoria to Vancouver to be closer to their grown children.
Now, a whole new community is seeing their romantic rides and seeing that despite life’s inevitable twists and turns, there is a way to keep love moving straight ahead.
“You can either get bitter and retire from the world,” Peter says. “Or you can force yourself to get out and get at it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.