The community of Port Hope is rallying together for the family of a teenager who died of cancer last week.
After a two-year battle with cancer, 14-year-old Kristey Patel died in Toronto on May 5, 2020.
Kristey fought a courageous battle since being diagnosed on August 17, 2018 with a stage four tumour.
Ben Mills is Pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church got to know Kristey and her brother Mansav through friends in the neighbourhood that attend the church in Cobourg.
Mills wants the family to know the community is with them.
“With everything going on right now (COVID-19) you want to be able to give them hugs and you want to be at a funeral service or visitation to show our respect and love for Kristey and her family, but we can’t.”
After speaking with close friends of the family, they’ve come up with an idea that would keep in line social distancing, but would also let the family know that the community stands with them.
Mills has numerous candles outside his home located on 180 Centennial Drive in Port Hope for people to pick up from now until Tuesday, May 12.
On Tuesday, community members are invited to place the candles on the Patel’s lawn located at 1 Hewson Drive in Port Hope from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m.
“We can put candles on the front lawn of their home in support and solidarity of the Patel family.”
“It’s the most helpful thing we can do right now.”
Mills knew Kristey and said the two things he’ll remember about her is that she always had a smile on her face, and she loved hot sauce.
“She came out to our youth group all the time and we’d break out the hot sauce and for everyone else it was always to hot, but for Kristey she would always want more. She’d always laugh at that,” said Mills with a smile.
“She loved hanging out with her friends and she was smiling all the time.”
“That’s the picture I have in my mind, smiling with a potato chip in her hand and a ton of hot sauce on it.”
For anyone wishing to donate to a Go Fund Me page set up for the family at https://www.gofundme.com/f/love-for-the-patels?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=3c8f3f82be3949fb9821ef1ddeded324&fbclid=IwAR3b5dGzXR5uQEnkAsqZRnFpY-WXDR9aH814bYE7A4AL52Vz9sciIHilwgc
Kristey is survived by parents, Yatinkumar Patel and Hetalben Patel; and her sibling Mansav Patel.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
