Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Aug 06/01) - Asenath Idlout knows about sacrifice. To pursue her childhood dream of tending to the ill, she gave up her home in Pond Inlet, sold her possessions and uprooted her family.

Gareth Seltzer placed a plaque at the foot of an inukshuk that was built overlooking the spot where his brother and sister-in-law drowned outside of Pond Inlet. The pair passed away while kayaking three years ago. Seltzer and his mother Doreen made the journey to the North Baffin late last month. - photo courtesy of Gareth Seltzer

Studying nursing meant that much to her.

In support of her goal, Idlout's husband of 15 years gave up his own pursuits to look after the couple's four children.

Without his income, it wasn't easy getting by and sometimes Idlout wondered if she could continue. There have been days when packing it in and moving back to Pond Inlet seemed like the thing to do.

But she persevered and is now just days away from resuming her nursing studies at Nunavut Arctic College. She plans to move home to work as a nurse in Pond Inlet's health centre when she graduates in a few years.

When Idlout mulls over the people who've helped her get where she is today, the names Doreen and Gareth Seltzer come to mind. The mother-and-son duo created the Seltzer-Chan Pond Inlet Foundation after Mark Seltzer (Doreen's son and Gareth's brother) and his wife, Marilyn Chan, drowned while kayaking near Pond Inlet three years ago.

Gareth and Doreen were devastated by the accident and flew immediately to the North Baffin. Instead of succumbing, they created the foundation to thank Pond Inlet residents for their tremendous kindness.

The foundation is mandated to alleviate poverty and promote educational opportunities that better the community. A local committee oversees the application process and the Seltzers make the final funding decisions.

This year, 14 residents received financial awards to pursue a variety of projects.

Idlout was among the recipients. She said she plans to use the $500 cheque to help with the expense of raising four children on a single salary in Iqaluit.

Idlout also commended Doreen for being strong enough to turn such tragedy into something positive.

"Doreen has so much courage," said Idlout. "To actually give money to the people of Pond Inlet after her son died there is just awesome," she said.

Saying goodbye

The Seltzers are content to let the local committee to take care of foundation business. Gareth said those who live in the community are more likely to make culturally appropriate decisions about where the thousands of dollars would be best spent.

"They run it. They encourage people to apply. They go through the applications and see which ones are best for the community and they're right on every single call," he said after a recent trip to Pond Inlet. "That says it all."

Both Gareth and Doreen travelled to Nunavut late last month. The trip was difficult for both of them, but a necessary step in their grieving and healing process.

During their stay in Pond Inlet, they visited with the many friends they made during the search and got a chance to meet many of the people they've helped over the last three years.

But when they travelled to the site of the fatal accident they were saddened to see that weather had knocked down the inukshuk erected to commemorate Mark and Marilyn's lives.

Gareth said rebuilding the icon was hard, but leaving the site afterwards left him wounded.

"That was the hardest part. Just to leave was so sad because of the last time we had been there -- we just reflected on the circumstances," he said.

It was also difficult for Doreen to revisit the area that claimed her son and daughter-in-law. At the same time, it gave her the chance to say goodbye to Marilyn.

"Mark's ashes are interred with his father's grave, but we never found Marilyn," explained Doreen.

"As we were leaving, I felt like I said goodbye to her. It was her spirit I said goodbye to."