Trisha Parsons, a former student, has passed.

Danielle and Trish - two of the students in my special needs program at Garibaldi, 2006

Trisha Parsons, a student of mine while I was teaching at Garibaldi Secondary School in Maple Ridge, has passed away.  I got the news yesterday, and my heart sank.  It's still hard to believe, her face, so clear in my mind, and her lively spirit, are gone.  Not the memories, mind you, but the hope for her future now lies in pieces.  

That hope is what drives teachers.  Each child we engage with represents a future, a life, that we have been given to shape as best we can.  Trisha was no exception to that, although she had CP (cerebral palsy), which limited her physically.  In spite of her immediate challenges, she made every effort to be the best she could.  She loved others, was loved, and had a great deal of potential we were all meant to unlock.

I cannot speak to what her life looked like after high school.  I have not been in contact with her for over 20 years.  Yet her smile, determination, and enjoyment of life remain with me.  I have to think that she faced her future as a graduate with the same demeanour she had while attending school.   Love others, be loved, do the best you can.  It was a banner she carried with her, and it made you want to be a better person.  

She died at the age of 37 on August 22, 2026.  She had acute liver failure.  I don't have the details, but the hopes and prayers that others had for her became dust.  As her sister, Jesse, said, "Gone way too soon, but will never be forgotten.  You get to be with dad once again."  My heart breaks at this, a loved one that can be loved no more, only in memory.  At the end, it's all any of us have.  

Love others, be loved.  Remember Trish.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen

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