Teen behind good deeds movement dies at 18
A New Brunswick teenager who turned a terminal prognosis into a online movement that has inspired acts of kindness across the globe has died of brain cancer.
Rebecca Schofield of Riverview, N.B., died in Moncton on Saturday at the age of 18, her family said in a statement Sunday.
“If the love of a community actually had the medical power to cure childhood cancer, we believe Becca would have lived forever,” the statement said.
“While that wasn’t possible, we believe the countless acts of kindness Becca and her family have received from a community of caring people literally around the globe has at least helped soothe all of our souls.”
Funeral arrangements are being made in Riverview and a date for a celebration of Schofield’s life will be announced soon, according to the family’s statement.
Even in mourning, her supporters say they will continue to carry out her final request — sharing acts of kindness on social media because #BeccaToldMeTo.
“You gave Becca strength and courage throughout her journey. You gave her the profound blessing of knowing in her too short life that she had made a difference. You gave her hope that all the good and the bad of the past three years had a meaning, even at times when that was hard to see,” the family’s statement said.
“Her legacy is not all the good that came our way. It is the thousands of acts of kindness that grew exponentially outward from our home in Riverview, spreading across North America and beyond. We hope that global community of caring people will continue to look for ways to make the world better one act at a time. We pray #Beccatoldmeto will live on. Keep her dream alive, and our beloved Becca will live forever. Be kind.”
Schofield wrote a bucket list in December 2016 after learning her years-long battle with brain cancer had taken a turn for the worse, with doctors giving her only months to live.
The list included some of life’s simple pleasures — playing with puppies, eating her dad’s macaroni and cheese — and one more altruistic request.
“I want to create a mass of acts of kindness,” Schofield told her thousands of Facebook followers. “It can be as big or small as you’d like. Donate to charity, volunteer your time, or even just do the dishes without your parents asking.”