Meet Kit Flynn.
“I lived all across Canada growing up, moving every year and a half. As an adult I moved to Ottawa from Toronto to create a better life for my family. Ottawa is the very best place I have ever lived, and I’ve been here 27 years. I am so glad we put down roots here. I live in Westboro now, where I have a studio in my home to help people over 50 make their lifestyle healthier.
It was the community support when I had a five- and seven- year-old – and my husband got a terminal cancer diagnosis –that drew me into this area. The support from the community, family values, the people who would rather spend a few dollars extra at a family-run business instead of a big box store, that’s what led us here in the first place. We thought we’d only see it as we raised our children, but it showed itself to us in a big way when he got sick. Our community, strangers, neighbours, acquaintances, friends, pooled their money and resources and sent our family to Disneyworld before John died. That’s why I’m in this community, and that’s why I’ll never go anywhere else. Now I give back to the community as an active volunteer in many different areas. I give back to people who helped me stay upright when I would have otherwise fallen. Most important to me is to never judge anyone unless I’m walking in their shoes, and I never will be, so I don’t judge. I also love to live by the words: ‘what other people think of me, is none of my business.’ I didn’t always live that way, I used to think what someone else thought of me could kill me. I have so much more internal power now to be who I want to be.” Collected by Ellen Bond
Humans of Kitchissippi is a special street photography project designed to introduce readers to some of the people who live, work, and play in Kitchissippi. Each instalment of HOK contains three elements: a photo, a name, and a quote from the subject that reveals a little bit about who they are. View our collection of humans right here.
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