Pierrette Bloom was my mother. She was a warm, kind-hearted, artistic, strong-willed, passionate spirit, with a touch of stubborn spitfire who would only curse in French. She recently passed away after a battle with stage 4 breast cancer that quickly spread throughout her body. She died 4 months after her first diagnosis. She was only 58 years old.
I wanted to do something unique and special for her that would replace the prayer cards you usually receive at funerals. I find it easiest to express myself through art and music. Being a graphic designer grants me “special powers” to design this jacket/CD and have it printed by some great local print shops in a matter of days. Music has always been a big part of my childhood, and I wanted to create a “mix tape” in honor of my mum:
We used to travel to Canada once a year to visit her extended family in Grand Falls NB. We would drive for 9 hours up Route 95 in Maine, looking for moose or hunting down states on the side of Uhaul trucks while blaring John Denver’s country roads, and stopping at the occasional Tim Hortons or Irving big stop. We did a lot of bonding on those trips, and I clocked a lot of driver’s lesson miles.
She became a single mother, just in time for me to hit puberty. At the time we lived in a small 1 bedroom apartment. She worked endless hours, and did everything in her power to provide not only food and shelter, but to raise me to be a strong willed and compassionate man, and being the momma’s boy that I truly am, I have to say she did an amazing job being my mum.
My mother was my first true love. She didn’t deserve the hands she was dealt in life, but she handled them with grace and courage. I’m both heartbroken and thankful that her struggle with cancer only lasted a few months. I pray she is in a better place now, and hope that I was able to bring joy into her life while she was here with us.
If you’re in need of a good cry, please listen to the Spotify stream of the memorial mixtape below: