Turning the Page: After grim diagnosis, 65-year-old man released from hospice

It's the beginning of a new year: a time of renewal, of reinventionor new beginnings. Turning the Page is a week-long series of stories about starting overand moving forward,airing on CBC'sOn the CoastJan. 2 - Jan. 5.

Tim Roxburgh has more time than he thought going into 2018.

In the spring of 2017, the 65-year-old Langley, B.C., resident had spent most of the year in Abbotsford Regional Hospital battling a complicated liver disease, cirrhosis.

His condition was deteriorating and with no sign of improvement, Roxburgh was sent to Christine Morrison Hospice in Mission, B.C. with an estimated two weeks to live.

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"When I first got there I couldn't get out of bed by myself," he told On The Coast host Gloria Macarenko.

The condition was causing his body to produce ammonia and his physical and mental functions were severely affected.

But something miraculous happened.

With the emotional and medical support of the staff and volunteers, Roxburgh regained his strength day by day. ByJuly, he was well enough to attend his daughter's wedding, an event he'd beenlooking forward to.

"They took that as a personal crusade and I did manage to walk her down the aisle They kept me up every day and made me work at it until I had the strength back to be able to do it."

Ice cream float Fridays

As his health improved, Roxburghplayed a role increating small events at the hospice for friends, family and staff to enjoy like ice cream float Fridays which turned to high tea in the fall and once-a-month Sunday suppers.

"It's the people, and I'm not just singling out Christine Morrison [staff] ... but I suspect all hospices are very similar in that you have to be a very certain special kind of person to either work there or volunteer there," he said.

"You're going through a very stressful situation and it's very important that you have someone else there who understands what you're going through."

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Roxburgh is reflecting on his time spent at the Mission hospice and attributes his optimism for much of his healing.

"Go at things positively, I've always tried to do that, not always succeeded but ... most people would say you've had a lousy year, but no I don't think I did. I came out of it.

"It's a miraculous feeling obviously heaven isn't ready for me and hell don't want me either."

To hear the full interview listen to media below:

With files from the CBC's On The Coast