On
March 22, a good friend, lover, sister, daughter, auntie, coworker,
community member and all-around great Canadian, Janet Carscadden,
passed away due to a stupid fucking brain
tumor.
Over
the last 20 years, she practiced physical therapy, yoga and
mindfulness at her business, Evolution Physical Therapy and Yoga.
Through her practice, she brought a calm and steady manner to owning
a business. She treated her employees like co-workers which ensured
that her business remained successful, until closed due to her
illness.
She
was a superb listener and practitioner whose expansive knowledge of
human physiology allowed her to take the art of physical therapy to a
new level. In the last 10 years, she helped people manage pain
without drugs and practiced dry-needling and pelvic floor therapy.
Through yoga, she provided a way to maintain a healthy body and mind
and understood that these are not separate but integrated parts of
the whole person.
As
much as America gained from her immigration, the Canuck never left
her. She was born in Toronto, where she benefited from the superior
educational and healthcare system and developed a Canadian type “Eh”
—pronounced “A” — personality, an ability to achieve
perfection without hubris or ego. She realized America needed a
calmer, more sensible influence and migrated to Florida, then to
Connecticut, and then to Vermont in 2000-ish. After 20 years of
resisting tethering herself to the insanity of the U.S., she
semi-reluctantly became a citizen in 2015.
Outside
of running a successful business, she was a killer vegan chef. She
had the ability to orchestrate 15 volunteers to produce a monthly,
three to five course meal for residents of Ward 2 and 3 at the ONE
Community Dinner! Over the eight years that she took lead on the
dinner, the attendance went from 50 to 150 people. The stealth, vegan
dinners ranged from Ethiopian, Indian, Mexican and Polish to Chinese
foods and were some of the best-served anywhere in Vermont. During
eight years, we likely served between
8,000-10,000 meals to the Old North End. Strengthening the
community bonds through good food was truly her gift to us.
For
the last 13 years, she lived with her main squeeze, Patrick, and
their longtime friend, Mark, in Burlington. She has tons of wonderful
family and friends still in the Toronto and Edmonton area, including
her parents Joan and Roy, her two sisters Judy and Jean-Ann, and
their families.
On
the day she passed, word got out, and a host of people visited her
throughout the day to share her final hours together. A traditional
wake was held immediately after her passing. A memorial service, yoga
class and bike ride will be held on June 10, at 9:00-ish, at the
Community Sailing Center in Burlington. The last 18 months were
tough, but the sustained love and support were edification incarnate!
Without hesitation, she was truly one of a kind. An ability to be a
respected leader without ego is rare in the U.S. Thanks Janet!
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2023.
The community Janet fostered was inspirational. The Aiken family misses her.