CANADA — After spending more than four months in a hospital, Sanjeeve Seeburn and his wife, Sandy, are thinking back on a summer day they spent at a rural lavender farm.
"It's so beautiful, so peaceful," said Sandy.
Sanjeeve says the wood fired pizza they ate there was the best he ever had.
"It was just amazing. I never forgot this flavor," said Sanjeeve.
He wondered if experiencing it again with Sandy might help them endure the sudden diagnosis of a rare and aggressive cancer that he was suffering from.
So, Sanjeeve sent a message to Bilston Creek Farm in Canada, which was received by Karen, the events manager.
"We couldn't believe what we were reading," said Karen.
Sanjeeve wrote he was in palliative care with just weeks to live and hoped to taste their pizza one last time.
"It's his wish. Why, why wouldn't we do that?" said Karen.
Although it was off season and they weren't serving any food, the staff at Bilston Creek spent two days preparing the oven that had been dormant all winter and scrambling to source the ingredients for the dough and toppings to make the pizza Sanjeeve fed to remembered so fondly.
"The ingredients are our tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, kale from one of our local farmers, artichoke hearts, chicken, Moroccan olives, and love," said chef Sandi Iriving.
Sandi, the executive chef, was one of a number of people who came in on their day off to make it. The owner of Bilston Creek offered all the food, plus the 45-minute drive to deliver it, for free.
"I was shocked that they are willing to go this far. I was just ordering a pizza." said Sanjeeve.
But then again, Sanjeeve says this is not about pizza. He says it's about kindness, and he hopes that by sharing his story, countless others will be inspired to spread kindness too.
"The world can be a better place to live," said Sanjeeve.
He says he is so thankful that he could share the pizza with the health care team that he couldn't be more grateful for. He added that although a hospital bed in the winter couldn't be more different than a lavender field in the summer, he still has his beloved Sandy by his side.
"Enjoy every day, every second, every moment that you have in your life. You never know tomorrow how you and I wake up," said Sanjeeve.
