FREETOWN, P.E.I. - Julien Marcel Gaudet was a kind and humble young man who had a giving nature, but on May 27th in 2011 he was involved in a tragic accident that would result in his parents facing a painful reality.
“He was out with some friends and unfortunately made a decision to get on the hood of a moving car. When he came to get off, he fell and struck his head on the ground,” shared his mother Christine Gaudet, from Tecumseh, Ont.
Gaudet and her husband Germain travelled to the International Children’s Memorial Place (ICMP) for the annual bricklaying ceremony to memorialize the memory of their son, on Sunday afternoon.
The 18-year-old athlete had so much to live for. He passed away in the ambulance on route to the trauma hospital, but he would leave a lasting legacy.
“We decided on organ donation after understanding that there was no way of bringing Julian back, so on June 29th when he was pronounced ‘brain dead’ his organs and corneas were donated so others could be spared from the heartache,” explained Christine, who finds some comfort in knowing that out of his passing came the gift of life for others.
The couple were part of a close-knit bereavement group out of Essex County, Ont.
“It’s just a group of us parents that keep connected and do everything together,” she explained.
Darcy and Cindy Quick were among the group members that came to commemorate their son.
Michael Ascott was a “talented musician and registered massage therapist. He loved life, the outdoors, and played his guitar wherever he went,” shared Cindy, speaking of him with fondness.
“But I will never forget the morning our neighbour, a police officer, was on his way home and noticed in our driveway a vehicle in flames. He banged on the door and said, ‘everyone must get out the house quick.”
The family would later learn the tragic news that struck the 29-year-old on November 28th, 2014.
“Michael was talking to a friend on the phone and said he had a gas leak in his car and that he was taking it to get fixed…The carbon monoxide took his life, and they never determined how the fire started, which was deep in the engine. I had no idea he was in the car.”
Cindy acknowledged, “When it happens to you, it feels like your all alone and nobody understands. People can say stupid things too. But once you’re in a group like this you get comfortable knowing and sharing with each other your experiences with people who have been there too.”
This is the fourth year the group have travelled to plant a brick in memory of a loved one at the ICMP, which gives them a sense of peace and healing. There are 62 bricks placed together by the group so far on the Path of Remembrance. Their first brick reads, “Forever in our hearts.”
For more information on the bricklaying ceremony or the ICMP visit, www.icmplace.ca.
