Becca found ‘clarity, meaning’ in cancer fight
RIVERVIEW, N.B. • Rebecca Schofield’s father has written a tribute to the young woman who inspired acts of kindness around the globe, as he and his family prepare to say their final farewell.
“I mourn for you, Becca, for all the pain you experienced during your too short life. For all your lost dreams. For the many, many things you wanted to do but will never have the chance to do. And I also mourn for us, for the hole in our lives now that can never be filled,” Darren Schofield said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning.
“But I rejoice at the honour I feel at having been a witness to your truly exceptional life. To your strength. Your sense of humour. Your exuberant enthusiasm. Your generous and kind heart. Your boundless love. Your beauty. Your bright, shining spirit.”
Schofield died of brain cancer in Moncton on Saturday evening at the age of 18.
The Riverview, N.B., teenager compiled 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.
She asked her thousands of Facebook followers to perform random acts of kindness and post them online under the hashtag #BeccaToldMeTo. Her request soon went viral, with people as far away as Australia posting their good deeds to social media.
“She was fortunate enough to find clarity, meaning and purpose during her prolonged journey with brain cancer,” Darren Schofield wrote in his tribute.
“How amazing it is to have had a child that has truly reached out and touched the world around us.”
He wrote about attending a Moncton concert on Jan. 19 by Port Cities, one of her favourite bands, and how she broke down in tears knowing it might her last outing.
An ecumenical celebration of Schofield’s life is set to be held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Riverview on Wednesday, with overflow seating in the church hall, according to an obituary posted on the Cobb’s Funeral Home website.
Schofield was also recognized following a meeting of federal ministers and provincial premiers Tuesday in Moncton.
Condolences were offered to her family by federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor and New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant.
The New Brunswick government declared the third Saturday of September “Becca Schofield Day,” and kicked off the inaugural event in 2017.