A musician with a big heart offered a unique accordion concert on New Year’s Eve to an 89-year-old former accordionist who entered palliative care a few days before the celebrations to celebrate her very last Christmas.
“I was out shopping when I started getting lots of notifications on Facebook. A woman was looking for an accordion player to come play one last concert for her mother. I told myself that I had to help him,” recalls Emrik Côté, alias P’tit Gros Bison, an artist from Chambly.
Chantal Robidoux threw a bottle into the sea on the morning of December 24. She hoped to be able to find someone who would come and offer a beautiful accordion concert to her 89-year-old mother who spent her very last Christmas in palliative care before passing away on the night of the 1is January 2025.
She didn’t expect to receive all this wave of love at once.
“That’s when I started seeing all the posts, all the shares. People wrote to me privately to tell me that they were thinking of us and that they wished us a wonderful Christmas despite the ordeal… It moved me so much,” says Mme Robidoux.
In a few hours, she came into contact with the 26-year-old songwriter, who had just returned from a show given in Nunavik.
Stars aligned
A call that “will change his life,” says the young man.
“While speaking with Chantal, I realized that she was very close to my house! It really was something that happened at the last minute, the stars aligned!” he exclaimed.
Photo provided by CHANTAL ROBIDOUX
Less than an hour later, P’tit Gros Bison found himself playing the accordion surrounded by around fifteen members of Jacqueline’s family who were tapping their feet and singing rigodons.
“It was so touching! The members of this family told me that they were preparing to celebrate their worst Christmas, but that it had just changed everything! Let’s just say it ended in tears in the palliative care corridor,” he added.
Grateful
A few days after this unique event, Chantal Robidoux is still incredibly grateful to have been able to offer this ultimate gift to her mother.
“She kept saying it was the best Christmas of her life!” says the daughter of the 89-year-old woman whose health took a turn for the worse on December 19.
While preparing to host her family for the holidays, Jacqueline began to have health issues. Her doctor then discovered that she had metastases in several places and that her days were numbered.
Photo provided by P’tit Gros Bison
The artist, who is very present on social networks, shared videos of his performance to encourage others to pay it forward.
“It’s important to share beautiful things! Seeing beautiful actions leads to other beautiful actions,” he concluded with emotion.
