The Victoria youngster affectionately known as "bus boy," whose face often lit up with joy over his love for buses, has died at four years old.
Dominic Orr, who was featured in several of CTV's most memorable Sawatsky Sign-Off segments, passed away early Saturday morning in his sleep, a family friend confirmed.
It's still too soon to tell what caused his death, but it came as a complete shock to the family, Jennifer Braman said.
"He decided to go see his great-grandpa in heaven, so he just slept and didn't wake up," she said.
The youngster was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome when he was born, a complex condition that rendered him unable to speak or use his muscles properly.
But the condition didn't stop Dominic from expressing himself with gleeful outbursts, especially when it came to buses passing by.
A story on the youngster's love for buses attracted widespread attention and netted him an invite from BC Transit to check out the company's headquarters and even drive one of their vehicles.
"I think it's just because he loved life so much. He had struggles but he didn't care," said Braman.
The day was so overwhelming for Dominic that his eyes filled with tears of joy as he got to check out the vehicles up close.
Still raw with emotion, Dominic's mother Stephanie spoke with Adam Sawatsky about her son's legacy of love.
"He's my little heart and soul. He was four. He wasn't able to walk, he didn't have a voice of his own, but he touched so many people," Stephanie said.
She said that even though he was so young, Dominic can teach everyone an important life lesson.
"He taught me to always dig deep, because no matter how bad it is, you will always have more for your children," she said. "He taught me the value of life. Appreciate everything, don't take anything for granted, and know what a smile can do. A smile can be so infectious."
That's why she said she has no doubt her boy is now making the rest of the angels smile above.
Family friends have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help ease Stephanie Orr's financial burden as she deals with the loss.
