A terminally ill teenager who inspired Canadians across the country with a video she recorded from her hospital bed urging them to vote in last month’s federal election has died.
Her uncle broke the news on Twitter early Sunday morning.
“Our beautiful little peanut passed away yesterday,” Brent Williamson wrote. “She was stronger than anyone could imagine and left a wonderful mark on the world.”
Indeed.
Her body fighting cancer, Maddison Yetman held up cards with hand-written massages saying she managed to vote in advance of the the Oct. 21 voting day.
The final card says “#WhatsYourExcuse.”
This is my last chance to make a difference. Please share this with your network and get out and vote! #whatsyourexcuse @justinpjtrudeau @andrewjscheer @jagmeetsingh @MaximeBernier @liberalca @cpc_hq @ndp @peoplespca @CanadianGreens #cdnpoli #Elxn43 #canpoli pic.twitter.com/xxfXxuOrEf
— Maddison (@MaddiYet) October 15, 2019
Yetman, who was 18, cast her vote from the hospital before recording and posting the video, which has now viewed over 50,000 times.
“If I can find time to vote, you can find the time to vote,” she said.
At a Sunday brunch in early October, Yetman told her family she had been feeling sick for several days, with achy bones and sore joints.
When her symptoms worsened, she was admitted to the Health Sciences Centre’s cancer ward in Winnipeg.
Five days later doctors told her she had an advanced form of sarcoma,
She had, the doctors said, between a few days and few weeks to live.
A message posted on Yetman’s social media accounts on Sunday said that in lieu of flowers, mourners should donate to the Nature Conservatory of Canada.
With files from CP, CBC, CTV
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