2023-11-13 23:52:25
A festive farewell evening in the presence of the one who is preparing for the big departure rather than a sad day of funeral without him? It took Mario Hudon to think of it!
The man who established himself for many years as a fixture on sports radio in Quebec has been suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for almost three years.
It was on December 7, 2020 that he received the diagnosis and it is exactly the same day that he chose to surrender, when medical assistance in dying will end his suffering on December 7.
You only need to know “Super Mario” to know that a gathering of mourners around his coffin is not his cup of tea. It was therefore on December 2, during an evening in his presence in a room in the Pointe-aux-Lièvres park, that people were invited to come and greet him alive.
Under the tender gaze of his wife, Nancy, Mario Hudon keeps his eternal smile even though he knows he is at the end of his life.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
“I would have liked to announce the return of the Nordics better, but that’s how it is,” he said, still armed with his mocking smile, when the author of these lines went to meet him, in the comfort of home.
Always sharp-minded
Obviously, the one who made himself known as the “Plate Manager” during his last years in radio is not doing well. Although he has difficulty expressing himself, his ideas are nevertheless perfectly clear and his sense of humor is as disarming as ever.
When the nurse who was passing by at the same time as us asked him if he felt out of breath, the eternal prankster answered him straight away.
“Just when I go running,” he said, laughing heartily, knowing too well that the cruel degenerative disease leaves him confined to his wheelchair.
Despite the evil that afflicts him, complaining about his fate has never been in his mind.
Time to leave
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
By his side, his better half, Nancy, takes great care of him. Morale seems good even though times are difficult. The couple, with their two children and two precious grandsons, are holding on. Even when illness strikes mercilessly, love does not waver.
After all, there is reason to rejoice. Little Isaac, aged 10, has just been named captain of his Atom A hockey team. His brother Nathan will celebrate his 15th birthday next week, on November 23.
“Mario has been telling me for a while that he’s waiting for Nathan’s party before leaving. With Isaac just being named captain, Mario is so proud of the rest of them. He says that Grandpa will no longer be there, but that he will be in the corner of the arena watching them,” confides his dear Nancy.
For one last time
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
It is therefore on December 2 that Mario Hudon and his family will receive all those who want to salute the proud fighter.
“It’s a lot better to say hello to the people I love and who will be in a good mood than to know that they are bawling in church without me being there,” he reflects.
Faced with the inevitable, her Nancy stands behind her man and respects his decision.
“He fought for a long time, but since the summer I felt he was preparing for this. Last week, he set a date. Mario has always hated mortuary parlors and he told me: it’s not true that you’re going to lock yourself in with people crying.
“He’s always been a gang guy and on the 2nd he leaves while he’s still alive.”
Knowing the guy, it’s quite a party ahead!
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