Back in June, the Canadian Olympic swimming trials were held on Father's Day and the swimmer's dad, Greg McIntosh, was brought up on the big screen inside the venue for a post-race interview.
"That's my dad," Summer said, smiling as her eyes lit up. She waved.
Greg, appeared to almost be at a loss for words, before he composed himself.
"She works so hard. It's so amazing to see her get rewarded for the hard work she puts in," he said. "She deserves this.
"And Summer, I'm so, so happy for you."
That was the first time in weeks Greg McIntosh had been out of bed. He's been battling cancer since January.
"He should have won an Academy Award for that because he literally hadn't left the bed," said Jill McIntosh, Greg's wife and Summer's mother. "That was his first time getting in the shower and having a shirt on."
When Greg was diagnosed with cancer in January, the family made the difficult decision to to split up geographically to minimize the COVID-19 risk. Greg moved into a place near the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in downtown Toronto, Jill and Summer rented a condo near the pool in Scarborough, Ont., and Greg and Jill's other daughter Brooke — a competitive pairs figure skater who competed at the 2020 Youth Olympics — stayed at the family home in nearby Etobicoke.
"When Brooke was skating I would go to the house and fill the fridge up. I couldn't be in contact with her," Jill said. "And then with Greg I'd triple-mask and help him when I could.
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