Life saving donation made in memory of Goulds volunteer Justin Blundon
By Mark Squibb | Vol. 13 No. 1 (January 8, 2020)
The legacy of a Goulds man remembered for his kindness and community spirit will live on through a donation to a local parish.
Justin Blundon, 29, passed away from heart complications in February 2019, just days after returning from a month in Ottawa, where he was being tested for candidacy for a heart transplant.
The process would have started up again in April, and doctors advised it could have lasted from six months to three years
“He wasn’t planning on going back,” said Chris Blundon, Justin’s father, noting that Justin just wanted to be home and helping out in the community he loved.
While in hospital, Justin had even asked the doctors about volunteering, and was told he could volunteer at the hospital.
On hand for the donation of an automated external defibrillator to St. Paul’s Church in the Goulds were, from left: Reverend Sandra Tilley, Chris Blundon, Linda Blundon, Janean Blundon, William Blundon, and Kirk Stokes, Keith Wrice, Colin Parson and Don Antle of Wolselyey Waterworks. The donation was made in memory of well-known Goulds volunteer Justin Blundon, who passed away last February because of heart complications.
Justin passed away suddenly on February 2 last year— ten days shy of his birthday— at his parents’ house in the Goulds.
“He came home and died in our arms,” said Chris.
Chris said they didn’t have a funeral for their son, but instead a celebration of life, a life spent volunteering with St. John Ambulance, the Goulds Volunteer Fire Department, the Lion’s Club, St. Kevin’s Parish, and anyone else who needed a helping hand.
“Any fundraiser in the Goulds, he was into. He was that type of individual. And everybody loved him,” said Chris, who noted that Blundon would volunteer to help with any political campaign, or any church group, just so long as he got to help out.
“He didn’t care, so long as he was helping someone. He had that big heart of gold.”
Chris said that it’s only since Justin’s passing that the family has really understood his impact on the community.
“We knew how good he was. But we didn’t know how great he was within the community… this is what God had intended him to do — to be a good community builder and inspire a lot of people,” said Chris, explaining that the family’s faith has kept them strong over the last year as they honour Justin’s memory.
“The Lord needed a right-hand man up there to help him,” he said.
Chris said that the company he works for, Wolsely Waterworks, an international company that provides waterworks products and services, wanted to do something special in Justin’s memory.
“They heard about what Justin was all about in the community, and they wanted to try and do a little something different,” said Chris.
The company approached him about donating an automated external defibrillator, a life-saving device that is used to help a heart find its regular rhythm during a medical emergency. The family settled on donating it to St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
In a move Justin would no doubt have been proud of, his brother, Jason, a paramedic, volunteer firefighter, and instructor with St. John Ambulance, will donate his time to host a training session on how to properly use the defibrillator.
The presentation was made Friday, Dec. 20 with members of the Blundon family and Wolseley staff on hand.
It’s fitting that such a device would be donated in the name of one who always gave himself to help others.
“This could save somebody’s life in the next month, or two months, or years down the road,” said Chris. “His legacy will live on through that.”
