She died of cancer at 16. Her high school is determined she won't be forgotten
CBC
Grace Voisey lost her life to leukemia last summer, but friends and family say her spirit lives on in the Labrador town where she grew up.
"Grace was probably one of the sweetest people you'd ever meet," said her lifelong friend Cassandra Keefe.
"She had this fire to her. She would do anything for anybody. She would be friends with anyone who came up to her."
The 16-year-old, who battled cancer until her death at the Janeway Children's Hospital in St. John's in July, had been attending Mealy Mountain Collegiate, a high school in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
Despite her illness, the teenager left her mark.
Seven months later, the school has planned a kindness week in her honour, beginning Monday: five days of donning different outfits, signalling the values Voisey stood for.
On Monday, students are wearing purple in honour of violence prevention. Tuesday is jersey day, for teamwork. Wednesday is pink shirt day — to stand against bullying — and on Thursday, students are encouraged to wear tie dye for "peace, love and dye" day. On Friday, different grades are asked to wear different colours to create a rainbow.
During the week, homeroom teachers will also be collecting donations for the Janeway Foundation in Voisey's memory. For each dollar someone donates, they'll have paper hearts students can write on and hang in the entrance.
"She was an amazing person. And that's why we feel it's important to remember her in a way that reflects her strength and her character in such a positive way that will bring smiles to everyone," said the school's guidance counselor, Valerie Hart.
Deedee Voisey, Grace's mother, holds the kindness week in memory of her daughter close to her heart.
Grace would have been excited to see people being kind to each other, her mother said, telling CBC News she felt immense pride at hearing about the impact her daughter had on those around her.
"It says a lot about her classmates and her former teachers, and the school in general, that they would remember her in this way," Voisey said.
"I feel like she's accomplished more in 16 and a half years of living than a lot of us will accomplish if we live to be 100."
Keefe's memory of Grace is someone who was kind to everyone, a girl who enjoyed beading, dancing and TikTok.
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