'Thankful for the rest of my life': Woman's final goodbye with father captured on video at Winnipeg airport

One woman is expressing her deepest gratitude to the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport after the staff helped her retrieve the security footage of her final moments with her father.

“I think it’s a beautiful reminder that there are really good people in this world and the kindness of strangers can go so far for someone,” said Megan Cyr, who is from St. Andrews, Man., but currently lives in Calgary, Alta.

“It means more now than it did when I first got it.”

The story dates back to Dec. 28, 2020, when Megan was set to leave Manitoba and return to Calgary.

However, she misread her departure time, thinking it was at 7 p.m. instead of 7 a.m., causing her to miss her flight at the Winnipeg airport.

Megan rebooked her flight to return to Calgary the next day, which gave her an extra evening to spend with her father Curtis Cyr.

The next morning, Curtis drove her to the airport.

Megan was worried the 12 homemade breakfast burritos she had packed in her carry-on would be confiscated when going through security, so her dad came inside to ensure no food was wasted.

Once the burritos went through the scanner, Megan gave her dad a thumbs up and proceeded with her trip.

That was the last time she’d see her father alive. He died of a heart attack on Jan. 3, 2021.

A photo of Curtis Cyr who was a Winnipeg firefighter. (Source: Megan Cyr)

 

A few days later, Megan had a clear memory of her final goodbye with her father at the airport.

She decided to reach out to the Winnipeg airport to see if they had the security footage of her last moments with her dad, knowing it may be a longshot.

“I think it's pretty rare that anyone gets a recording or footage of them saying goodbye to their loved one,” she said.

“That's often just reserved for people who can anticipate someone's death or who have been sick for a while, so I just thought that it would be kind of out of this world to get that footage.”

From there, Megan received updates every few days from airport staff as they worked to find the video.

On Jan. 20, 2021, she was gifted the footage of her last moments with her father.

“It was better than I could have expected and definitely a huge gift that I’m really able to appreciate even more four years later, because the grief has softened a little bit and I can see that there was good in the darkest time of my life,” she said.

The one-minute-long video shows a clear view of Megan and Curtis as they say their goodbyes before she goes through security. In the footage, Megan can be seen talking with her father and giving him two hugs.

A screen capture of the video Megan received from the airport. (Source: Winnipeg Richardson International Airport)

Megan said the video serves as a reminder of the love she shared with her father, adding that it’s been a big help in her grieving process.

“As you get further along in grief, it gets harder to remember and to feel what it was like to be with that person,” she said.

“I think that video encompasses my dad and I’s relationship. So to have that memory with me forever, and I know it’s never going to fade and I’m never going to be able to forget it, because it’s a physical reminder and I can watch it. That’s just incredible.”

Megan said though it’s been four years, she wants to share her story now to provide a reminder of all the good in the world.

“Loss and mourning has this beautifully heartbreaking way of connecting people and feeling seen and understood by someone you don’t even know,” she said.

“So I just felt it was the right time to share this and hopefully bring people together to know they’re not alone and that there are still amazing people in this world doing really kind things for people that they don’t know.”

Megan Cyr with her father Curtis. (Source: Megan Cyr)

As for the staff at the Winnipeg airport who helped her get the video, Megan said there are no words to describe her appreciation and gratitude.

Saying ‘thank you’ simply does not do justice to what she feels.

“The fact that they went above and beyond to get me that is just an incredible act of kindness,” she said.

“I will be thankful for the rest of my life for that video.”