Marcus Haywahe and his mother Megan on Friday visiting with Ronald McDonald at Regina General Hospital. Photo courtesy Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, Facebook.
This week, students and staff at Nakoda Oyade Education Centre are mourning the death of a 10-year-old student they’d rallied around in recent months.
Carry the Kettle First Nation boy Marcus Haywahe, 10, died after years of battling a brain tumour. As recently as last week, he was pictured smiling with his mother Megan during a visit from Ronald McDonald at Regina General Hospital.
Marcus was in remission when he started Grade 5 at NOED, where his grandmother teaches.
When his condition worsened several months ago, his school did what it could to make Marcus’s dream of returning to Disneyland come true.
The fundraisers they held kept his interests and his personality front and centre. Their Sonic Day – where students dressed in blue – was an ode to his love of video games and Sonic the Hedgehog. Marcus was holding the buzzer after Principal Wanda Clare pledged to shave half her head if they raised a thousand dollars for his trip.
Here is a video of that experience.
Marcus and his family weren’t able to make it to Disneyland, as his health didn’t allow it. Even though Marcus didn’t make it to California, his family was able to make lifelong memories by taking a trip to British Columbia around Easter-time, Clare said.
Coping with losing Marcus has been a struggle this week, and crisis counsellors have come in from File Hill Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, she said.
“We’re talking about memories that we have of him and we’re writing letters, the Grade 5 class has written letters to him. I think we’re just all pulling together,” she said, her voice wavering.
“We’re appreciating our students a lot more. We’re just having extra hugs and we’re talking about it.”
His entire Grade 5 class had a unique bond, Clare said.
“And I think part of that was Marcus, and they just cared and loved for Marcus, and they just got along all of them together which is a little unusual,” she said.
She remembers seeing Marcus’s frequent trips down the hall, walking to the servery to satisfy his love of bacon. He was a quiet, calm, and caring child, Clare said.
In his short life, Marcus left a strong impact on those around him.
“I think he’s all of our hero because he just kept the fight up and he just made us all smile and feel love from him.”
Clare says it’s been a difficult week, and it will take time for students and staff to recover. They’re doing a balloon release on Friday in his memory.