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In September 2002, Rebecca Denise Borg, a beautiful twenty year old from Mississauga, Ontario was beginning her second year at Queen’s University in Kingston. Rebecca moved into her first house with four vibrant young women who all met in residence during their first year. Within a few weeks of setting up house with her four housemates, Rebecca began to experience a number of infections, fatigue, aches and pains in her joints and most debilitating severe headaches. She became a regular visitor to the University Clinic and a constant concern to her parents. As the weeks and months passed, it became clear there was a serious problem. A blood test was performed on November 12th and on November 13th Rebecca was given the shocking news that she had
leukemia, specifically Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML).
Mid-terms would have to wait!
The next day, November 14th, Rebecca was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto beginning chemotherapy. It took months of treatment to reach remission. Her leukemia was a stubborn one! A bone marrow transplant was imperative. Thankfully, Rebecca’s younger brother David was a perfect match. On May 7th, 2003 Rebecca had her transplant. The seeds of hope had been so rooted in her life throughout the long months of treatment. This hope had been nurtured, encouraged, established and maintained for so long by her compassionate doctors, nurses and support staff at the hospital, as well as by her family and friends that it was unimaginable that Rebecca, could not possibly blossom into the beautiful flower she was becoming. Rebecca died on Thursday, October 30th, 2003 after a very courageous and inspirational battle with this insidious disease. Her family was in shock. - Paul and Theo, her devoted parents, Phil, her twin brother and Dave, her twenty year old younger brother, as well as the rest of her family and friends.
At twenty-one, Rebecca was at the threshold of her independent adult life and looking forward to opening the door toward all her hopes and dreams – becoming a teacher,
traveling, getting married and having children and making a difference in this world. Rebecca was beautiful, inside and out. She was intelligent, and she lived life to its fullest. Oh the urgency with which she lived her life! It was as if she knew her life would be short. Rebecca tried to do it all… like when her parents thought she was too young to go to Daytona Beach on the March Break of her Grade 12 year. Numerous negotiations resulted in revisiting the request the following year. To ensure she did not have to rely on her parents for money to go the following year, Rebecca worked two jobs, worked 7 days a week, maintained her academic honour roll status and got to Daytona Beach during the March Break of her OAC year, all the while continuing to organize her friends for get-togethers, movies and parties as often as she could. She graduated from high school as an Ontario Scholar. How she successfully accomplished all this, no one knows!!!!
Rebecca will always be remembered for her bright and infectious smile and a presence that radiated vitality for life, family, friends and all that was special or beautiful in the everyday. She exuded happiness and joy, friendship in a quiet, discreet yet memorable way. She had the ability to see the positive in all of life’s happenings.
Many of us walk through the day, only noticing the BIG things in life, that due to their enormity cause us to pause and take note. We often fail to truly feel life’s smallest treasures, the warmth of the sun, the gentleness of a breeze or the music found in a bird’s song. Each of these has within it a beauty and impact – a uniqueness. That was the essence of Rebecca. Her warmth and gentleness were so appealing they that often caused people to pause and take notice.
Rebecca by her very nature brought joy and happiness to others. She was a quiet leader
and a role model to so many of us. She had a gift for connecting with a wide variety of people – family, friends, peers, teachers, doctors, nurses, hospital support staff - in her warm, genuine, accepting, unique way.
Rebecca… thank you for truly living the legacy to which you aspired! Your message of “Live life to the fullest and always affirm the people you love” is an inspiration to all. There is such hope if we look to Rebecca’s life as an example of how we can make a difference in our world. |
