'My little hero': Saanich teen killed in crosswalk memorialized by family
'My little hero': Saanich teen killed in crosswalk memorialized by family
Kaydence Bourque is being remembered as a funny, polite and hard-working kid, who didn’t have a mean bone in his body.
The 16-year-old died after he was hit by a vehicle in a Saanich, B.C., crosswalk on Monday night. His family shared a statement on Friday, fondly recalling his sweet and joyful nature.
"He never wanted for anything, and he always could make you feel that he had more love to give than you could give him," the statement reads.
"That evening as he headed to his part-time job, his last words to both of us were, 'I love you.'"
As of Friday evening, a GoFundMe campaign for the family has raised more than $60,000. The Bourque family said it cannot accurately express its gratitude for the community's generosity — a reflection of Kaydence's own generous spirit.
Kaydence's mom, Crystal Bourque, shared an update on the GoFundMe page, saying her son’s organs are being donated.
"He will bless others like he did while he was here, my sweet boy," Bourque wrote. "Be at peace my little hero, you have made so many others so happy."
Kaydence’s aunt, Sherri Edwards, is encouraging people to sign their donor cards.
“It’s hard to make these decisions when there’s a tragedy. There’s other people that you could give a life to,” Edwards told CTV News.
“He is probably celebrating that he was able to do something.”
Edwards said her nephew was a brilliant, tough kid who loved old-school hip hop.
“I could’ve never hoped for a better nephew,” she said. “He was always free with the hugs, always saying that he loves us all.”
Edwards said Kaydence was Indigenous. She’s thanking community members who’ve shared their support, including a First Nations hereditary chief, who sent an eagle feather to a memorial for Kaydence on Friday.
“I can’t think of a more beautiful gesture and I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” she said.
Read the Bourque family’s full statement below:
“Thank you for respecting our privacy during this time. The community support has been unwavering, surprising and generous, which really reflects on Kaydence’s generosity of spirit.
Kaydence was such a wonderful boy. He never wanted for anything, and he always could make you feel that he had more love to give than you could give him. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He was a protector of his sister, of his dog and of anyone who needed it.
He worked hard at everything he did. He worked hard at his job, his schooling, his music. He was so polite — helped around the house with no complaint, volunteering to watch his much younger cousins when needed, thankful for anything he was given.
Kaydence was a very funny guy, too. On many family gatherings, he would be telling all sorts of jokes, keeping everyone in stitches and occasionally shocking his mom with slightly off-colour humour. He was also the best in the family at the cannonball into the pool. Every year when the pool could be opened to use, the rule was to enter by cannonball. He was always the first, and often quite creative in the execution.
That evening as he headed to his part-time job, his last words to both of us were, “I love you.”
Our decision to donate his organs was due to the fact that the entire family knows this is what he would have wanted. Kaydence was able to spend a couple more years with his beloved grandmother, after she was the recipient of a kidney, generously donated by her own daughter. To us, there wasn’t really a decision to be made. He was the type of boy that would want that for someone else.
We love him so much, and nothing is going to bring him back, but the fact that so many people care is amazing and we cannot accurately express our gratitude to people we know and the people who we don’t. The heartfelt messages from strangers, people who are saying, “You live in our neighbourhood,” or, “My child goes to school with yours,” offers to help if Ahria [Kaydence’s 15-year-old sister] needs to get somewhere, or food — it goes to show that people are as kind as you want to believe they are.”
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