The community of Port Hope did their best to do the impossible on Tuesday evening.
Console a family with the loss of their daughter and sister.
Fourteen-year-old Kristey Patel died in Toronto on May 5, 2020 after a battling cancer for two-years.
Ben Mills is Pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church organized a vigil on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 in front of the Patel home on Hewson Drive in Port Hope from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friends, fellow students, teachers, strangers, Port Hope Police officers, MP Phillip Lawrence and MPP David Piccini came to pay respects to the teenager with infectious smile.
There were so many people on the street, that Port Hope Police blocked off Hewson Drive.
In these COVID-19, social distance times, there was no way to comfort the family.
A simple heartfelt hug was out of the question.
But the spirit of the community of Port Hope and beyond thought Pastor Mills hopefully let the family know they weren’t alone in their grief.
Candle after candle was placed in front of a slideshow of Kristey alongside a photo of the beautiful teenager with roses around the frame.
“Light and Love for Kristey” was spelled out in front of the monitor and photo along with a number of flowers.
COVID-19 times wouldn’t allow Port Hope to show Kristey’s parents, Yatinkumar Patel and Hetalben Patel and her brother Mansav the way people usually try and console the inconsolable way of trying to comfort a family at the loss of a daughter or sister.
But everyone that came out, on Tuesday, that gathered on the street, that placed candles, that spoke of memories, that kept a social distance from each other, hopes the Patel family understands the shining light of Kristey won’t ever be forgotten.
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
