Hey Venissa – Though I may not know exactly where you may
be, I know you are in a happier place. You have escaped the pain and the
sickness, the suffering and the sorrow. Though your life was tragically short,
you lived every second of it to the fullest; it truly was a beautiful life. You
taught us so many things and inspired us to become better people every single
day. One memory that sticks out for me was last June, about two weeks after you
were diagnosed, when you called me and said, “I don’t care if I lose my arm or
both arms. And my legs too, they can take my legs. I just want to live to spend
time with my family.” In that minute I knew you would never go down without a
fight. And I was right. You battled the cancer with such strong spirit and
unrivaled courage. Every time a doctor told you your time was limited, you
simply responded by having even more determination to outlive their
predictions. You turned that initial three weeks into almost fourteen months. And
in that time you touched the lives of so many others – whether you knew them
personally or not. You taught us to enjoy every minute and find beauty in the
simplest of things. We miss you so much Venissa. We will carry you with us in
our hearts and our memories all our lives. You’ll always be my little chickadee.
I find comfort in knowing that you are up there, somewhere, watching over us,
probably dancing among the stars.
Venissa Xiao passed away peacefully in her sleep early in
the morning on Wednesday, July 23, 2014. She spent her last days surrounded by
her loving family – parents Lin Xiao and Juli Bai, her sisters Danica and Dayna,
and her grandmother. Her parents held a private burial on Friday and buried
some of her ashes. Toward the end of this week, her mom hopes to travel to
sprinkle her remaining ashes in the Atlantic Ocean. In memory of Venissa,
donations are being collected for the Terry Fox Foundation. Tubman Funeral
Homes is organizing these donations (link below).
Let’s all share our favourite memories of Venissa! I welcome
everyone to post a tribute, or simply write about a fun time you had with her.
Either post it here on her blog or send it to me by email (jsg.graham@gmail.com). I hope to put
together a scrapbook of our thoughts and messages and give it to her family in
her memory.
Follow this link to read Venissa’s obituary and to donate on
her behalf to the Terry Fox Foundation:
Venissa,
ReplyDeleteI want to let you know that you are an inspiration. I consider myself lucky to have met and known you, from the first time we sat together in ninth grade until the last e-mail exchange in 2014. You have lived your life, studied for school, treasured your friends and most importantly loved your family to the fullest extent. You are a role model, and it is heartbreaking to hear that you are gone, and will no longer be able to share your passion for life with those you love. Know that even in your hardest times, you were still as strong and positive as ever. You knew that your family mattered most to you, and were a support for them as much as they were for you.
You will forever be in our memories,
Bianca
Perhaps the truest measure of one's character is one's endurance through the hardships of life. And you, Venissa, have been most graceful throughout.
ReplyDeleteFrom your first blog post to you very last you were an inspiration to many. Whenever I got down on myself in my own battle with Ewing's Sarcoma I thought about your battle. Reading what you went through made me realize how lucky I am. I will never forget about your battle. Your spirit lives on in all of us.
ReplyDeleteStill miss you V.
ReplyDelete