CANADIAN couple Brad Dean and Craig McGowan have said they feel more at home in Ballinamallard than they do back in Canada, thanks to the love they have experienced from members of the local community who have been there for them as they dealt with a devastating cancer diagnosis whilst also building a new business.

Brad was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer seven years ago, and at the time he was given three to five months to live.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, Brad's husband, Craig, explained that Brad received successful treatment that left him cancer-free for seven years.

Following this news, the couple – who are originally from Ottawa – took an eight-week tour of the UK, during which they visited Northern Ireland and fell in love with the country.

"We went home and Brad looked at me and said, ‘Why are we here?’ and I said, ‘I dunno’ so we sold our house and moved to Northern Ireland," said Craig.

"We figured life is short, you don’t know how long you have. We wanted to make sure that when Brad did pass, there would be no regrets.

"That was really important for both of us, because we knew that we were going to have a short time together."

Brad and Craig moved to Ballinamallard two years ago after Craig took up a management position in a local care home.

When Covid-19 struck last March, Craig made the decision to leave his job as he was wary of bringing the virus home to his vulnerable husband.

"I actually left my job and I decided to open up a small online pet store, called Finnigan's Play Pen," said Craig, who began the business by importing goods from China, but due to the ongoing pandemic, decided that this wasn't very sustainable.

"We started then to make dog collars. We now make our own line of Finnigan dog collars, and that’s mainly what our business does now.

"We manufacture, supply and ship collars around the world. We make them in County Fermanagh, right here in Ballinamallard," he said, noting that due to the rising success of the business, they have been able to employ two members of staff.

Unfortunately, two months ago, the couple received the devastating news that Brad's cancer had returned. He was diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer, and it has metastasised to the lungs.

"There is no cure," said Craig, adding: "Unfortunately, it’s not a very positive outlook; most people will pass away within the first 12 months."

"It’s been tough, but we really have to remind ourselves we’ve had the last seven years together, and we have lived with no regrets. I’ve done more in the last three years of my life than most people have done in a lifetime.

"We’ve made our memories, we’ve spent our time together, and we want it to be longer, obviously, I’ll take as long as I can get, but at least we made the most of our time when we were here," he added.

Although the couple are going through a difficult time, they have nothing but praise for the NHS.

"One of the things that we were told when we moved here was to be cautious about the healthcare, because there are backlogs and an over-abundance of patients to doctor [ratio], so I was a little concerned moving here.

"But I knew that the healthcare system couldn’t be much worse than in Canada, and after being here and after experiencing the NHS system, we couldn’t be happier with the treatment and the quality of care that’s been offered," said Craig.

He went on to explain that Brad recently received surgery and will start chemo in the next few weeks.

"So, definitely they [the NHS] have been amazing at facilitating everything in a timely manner to ensure Brad gets the best treatment that he can receive," he added.

The couple also can't speak highly enough of the kindness of the local community of Ballinamallard, who have helped them build their business and deal with Brad's diagnosis.

"We are very overwhelmed with the amount of love that we have received from Ballinamallard and with the business," said Craig.

“We believe that if we had landed anywhere else other than Ballinamallard, we probably would have gone home with Brad being sick, but because of the comradery and the friendships we’ve built in this town, we feel more at home here than we do back in Canada," he told this newspaper.