Jan’s Story

A Heartfelt Legacy

From personal loss to purposeful giving, Janet Lee Lawrence, known simply as Jan, modelled how love and pain, when met with compassion, can create something deeply meaningful.

Jan spent over 30 years with her husband, Luke, and played a steady, supportive role in the lives of his two children. After a long career at SaskTel in Regina, she retired at 50 and found joy in quiet days with family and friends at their Kannata Valley cabin.

When Luke’s daughter, Erin, passed away from cancer, the loss was profound. Not being  defined by grief, Jan and Luke  instead turned their loss into a legacy by co-founding Teddy Bears Anonymous. This charity honors Erin’s memory by bringing comfort to thousands of hospitalized children across Saskatchewan.

In 2022, Jan was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. As she underwent treatment at the Allan Blair Cancer Centre, Jan received more than clinical care – she found kindness and human connection. “They never made her feel like a number,” Luke said. “She was a person with a story.”

Before her passing in December 2023, Jan made one final gesture of impact: a legacy gift in her Will to the Patient Care & Comfort Fund at the Allan Blair Cancer Centre. It was a continuation of her lifelong legacy, turning her experience with cancer into a way to support others walking a similar path.