We'll Never Forget Jon's 40th Birthday

Exactly one week ago today was the worst day of my life (and I've had a lot of really bad days). 

May 4th, 2026 

We've never done anything for Jon's birthday before, he claims he doesn't want to celebrate. Every year I ask him what he wants to do for his birthday and he always responds the same: "nothing babe, it's just another day". 

Every year I can't tell if he's serious, or testing me to see how much I truly care. 

Will I roll out the red carpet for him anyway? Make him see how special he is on his day? Or take the bait for convenience and act as if it's just another day on the calendar, because it's easier to not make the effort. 

Every year I take him at his word. I think "when a man tells you who he is, listen". This year however, I couldn't handle it anymore. I needed to see just once if he secretly wanted to be made a fuss over, and was actually disappointed every year we listen to his instruction to not do a thing. 

When his best friend Spencer messaged me on Instagram to ask what we were doing for Jon's first day of his forties, I hadn't even thought of it. I knew Jon's birthday was coming soon but I hadn't realized it was just a few days away. In a panic I thought "Fuck. I'm so used to Jon not wanting to do anything that I forgot his birthday was even coming". And so I did what any fiancé who feels like a total piece of shit would do: overcompensate for feeling like the worst wife in the world. 

In a matter of minutes I had an entire surprise birthday party planned. Very casual, very Jon. Spencer and I were to invite all of his closest people to gather in one of the most meaningful spots to Jon's upbringing: Gus' Pub. Two hours, early, so everyone can go home to rest before work on Tuesday (yeah, it was a Monday party) and Jon doesn't have to socialize for too long. There would be enough pizza for everyone so folks don't need to worry about supper, and ice cream cake because it's the only birthday cake Jon actually likes. 

Everything was set into place. I had communicated with the venue, Spencer and I had secretly invited everyone, and I had the pizzas planned I just had to place the order after work on Monday and go grab an ice cream cake. I had snuck out on the Sunday before to pick up some green paper plates, napkins and forks and hid them in my car on the way back from getting groceries. A few folks were expressing they'd like to pitch in for pizza, it was all going so well I just had to get through my work day on Monday early enough to pull the rest off before Jon got home. 

Oh yeah, and on the Thursday before I was acting like a world-class-weirdo and couldn't keep it together. Jon knew I was acting strange, and I could barely keep the surprise a secret. So I got my hair cut on Friday in a new style and passed it off as if that was the surprise so Jon would be none-the-wiser. 

Monday rolls around and I am SO excited. I have a super easy house to do and then I'm off to order a bunch of pizzas and get my hands on a cake to bring down to Gus' along with the supplies before I go home and pretend everything is normal. 

Only that doesn't happen, instead I'm swiftly transported to another reality where I can hear myself repeatedly screaming at the actual top of my lungs and I'm in so much pain my brain can't fully process it. Writing this one week later I can now tell you that my brain has completely blocked out the amount of pain that I was in, I assume much of the same way that women claim to forget how much childbirth hurt. 

I had sprayed down a tub after scrubbing it, and in my excited state I hadn't realized I had got some water on the ledge of the tub and so when I stepped up onto the ledge to turn the faucet back from hand sprayer to the main shower head, I slipped on the water I didn't realize was there and dislocated my knee before falling backward onto the floor. My kneecap was on the outside of my leg for what felt like a minute or two, before it just went back into place on it's own somehow and finally the pain subsided enough for me to come back to reality. 

I scooted myself to my phone that was in the kitchen and called Jon to come pick me up and messaged Spencer to let him know what happened and asked him to take it from there. I then scooted myself to the front door so I could unlock it before Jon arrived. Jon cleaned up the mess I has made in my client's house, and held the weight of my leg for me so we could spend the next half hour or so inching me towards his car. We left my car there on the street for him to pick up later, locked the door, and he took me home where we inched me into the bedroom and he took an interview with Global News just moments later.  

Jon's Interview: Maritime Musicians Say Rising Cost of Living is Making Touring More Difficult

Because I couldn't hobble, and it was near impossible to fit me in the car without hurting my knee we decided to get paramedics to come to the house to take me to the hospital for a leg brace and x-rays. The medical staff were incredible, I just have so many phobias around germs and loss of control that it was a bit of an interesting experience for me to say the least. I've been in two hospitals this week and although each experience has been ultimately positive, I've silently cried in public at least seven times. 

I demanded Jon still go to his party, which was no longer a surprise but an obligation. His day needed to be special for my sake, because I couldn't live with the idea that not only did I create a birthday he didn't even want but I also ruined it. Jon had what little fun he could in the circumstance, and I spent his birthday in a stretcher in the hall of the QEII. 

The first few days were the hardest. I would be lying if I said I didn't panic about whether I would ever walk or work again, or think about how difficult of an experience this will be to go through and how I have absolutely no choice in the matter but to go through it. 

Now that it's been a week it's getting a bit easier. I still can't do much but play videogames, watch television, or practice guitar. And although I've been doing what I can in terms of bathing, it's easiest just to wear this same dress day after day (I'll switch to a different dress next week I guess?). 

Natasha MacIsaac