JOEL JACOBSON – NOVA SCOTIA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE 2023

by Ed Tummers

Anybody who has ever attended a local meeting of Ostomy Halifax or read his monthly editorial in the Ostomy Halifax Gazette will have known Joel Jacobson.

From the moment he had his ostomy surgery, he shared his story with the readers of his regular Bright Spot column in the Halifax Herald.

He always had a smile on his face and shared his gift of laughter with everyone he met. Joel was involved in almost every aspect of the running of our group (Ostomy Halifax). He was so involved, few of us would have known that Ostomy Halifax was but one of his many volunteer commitments. Ostomy Halifax shared Joel with almost a dozen other organizations in which he held executive positions.

Recently, my wife Sandi and I had the privilege of representing Ostomy Halifax at the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, at which Joel was recognized as one of the 2023 Inductees in the Builder category. We were able to celebrate this momentous event with the extended Jacobson family.

The excitement did not end here. So you can imagine how thrilled we were when the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame announced that they were immortalizing Joel with the inaugural Joel Jacobson Volunteer of the Year Award. For the past 25 years or so, Joel has chaired the Awards Committee for Ostomy Halifax. One of his greatest joys each year was our annual awards ceremony at which time we would recognize the volunteer contributions of our members. This recognition was the equivalent of our Burleigh Wile Award.

Joel’s wife and my wife, Sandi, did not regularly attend Ostomy Halifax meetings, with the exception of the annual Christmas auction, during which, in between bidding, they would share their stories about how much time their husbands committed to ostomy stuff. When Joel passed away shortly after visiting family in the UK, Cathy had a few boxes of ostomy supplies that the NHS had given him while he was in hospital there, which she gave to us to dispose of. Little did we know then that just a few months later Sandi would undergo surgery for a colostomy, and she would be using those same ostomy supplies from Joel.

As much as we claim Joel Jacobson as one of ours, we were so proud to see how many other organizations shared similar pride in having known Joel.

His memory lives on. Joel Jacobson – a motivator; educator, facilitator, entertainer, visitor, and friend.

Ed Tummers first met Joel over 20 years ago as his Ostomy Visitor. They have been friends and colleagues ever since.