LEIDA'S
STORY
|
Leida
Finlayson was first
diagnosed with melanoma
at twenty-three. It
re-appeared in 2000
in Calgary where she
was working as an arts
administrator and then
again two years later.
Leida had returned
to her family's home
in St. John's, Newfoundland
to save money to buy
her own house and was
working as the general
manager of the Newfoundland
Historic Trust. She
had just finished her
education degree and
had plans to teach
high school.
She met
filmmaker Gerry Rogers,
a neighbour who lived
just down the street,
at a hospital in St.
John's. They decided
to make a film together. "Leida
was really up for it,
she had some things
to say," says
Rogers.
Leida's prognosis
wasn't good; doctors
gave her six months
to live. "It
was really a film about
living with dying."
Editing a book on hippy children
Leida was also a writer who wrote for the Telgram's
Editorial Board in St. John's.
While undergoing a round of treatments
for her second bout
with cancer, Leida
had begun collecting
stories about the adult children
- herself included
- of members of the
hippie generation.
She had hoped that
it would be a good distraction
and advertised nationally
for submissions. Many
of the stories she
collected were humorous,
from children who had
rebelled against their
parent's lifestyle
and developed a taste
for white bread and
sliced, processed cheese.
Leida's own parents, Renee and Duncan, grew their own organic
vegetables, sold
homemade rugs at local craft
fairs and had a Christmas
tree that was topped by a huge peace symbol. Leida described herself as 'frou-frou'
and adored wearing make-up
and high heels. She even
confessed to her
friends that she would have
loved to enter the
Miss Teen Newfoundland
contest in high school,
although her mother
would have been horrified.
PHOTOGALLERY:
View photos and read
Leida's thoughts
during her battle
with cancer. LAUNCH
"She
loved to dress up,
she loved fantasy,
she loved sparkle",
said filmmaker Gerry
Rogers, who shot
nearly seventy hours
of footage with her
subjects during the
making of Pleasant
Street.
"She
loved the camera, the
attention and the glamour.
We filmed intimate
moments and profound
moments."
Filming for Pleasant
Street
Leida wanted
to learn how to play
the violin and had
just started taking
lessons. Rogers arranged
a shoot in a historic
old wine cellar that
featured Leida playing
air violin to concerto
music. She wore make-up
and long gown and "looked
so beautiful as she
twirled around and
around to the music,"
recalls Rogers. Afterwards
she cut the entire
scene into a music
video for Leida to
enjoy.
Unfortunately, the
third re-appearance
of cancer in 2002
was resistant to
chemotherapy and
drugs. She died peacefully
on July 19, 2003
surrounded by her
parents, Renee and
Duncan and her sister,
Jennifer.
"Leida taught me that
it's the snall stuff that can bring you joy," says
Rogers. She was perfectly happy spending the
end of her life surrounded by the people who
loved her. "She
faced death, talked about it and this film is
her gift to the audience."
Leida's family has set up a scholarship in her
honour. See resources for
details.
|
