DARAH RENEE JOSEPH
May 4,
1999 – August 18, 2013
It is with deepest sorrow that we announce
the passing of our dearest sweet Darah after a 2 year long courageous battle
with Ewing’s Sarcoma. Darah’s story of her quiet yet fiercely valiant fight
with cancer touched many hearts around the world. She will be greatly missed but never
forgotten.
Left to cherish Darah’s memory are her Mom
Dana Hoffman (Brad Wood); Dad Dennis Joseph (Amalia Albanito); Sister Haley
Joseph; Great-Grandma Jean Belluk;
Grandma Jan Hoffman; Papa Ron Hoffman; Grandma Rolande Joseph; Step-Sisters
Marlee Wood and Samantha Wood; Step-Brothers Aaron Albanito and Charlie
Wood; numerous aunt;, uncles; cousins
and friends.
Darah grew up in Lac du Bonnet and eventually
moved to Selkirk and then finally to Beausejour, making many friends along the
way through school and sports. She had a
love for sewing, baking and crafts. She loved her special doggies and always
had them by her side to comfort her during her tough times. Darah’s passion for
fishing was evident by her many angling accomplishments, most of them achieved
during her battle with cancer. She recently received a special award for
multiple Master Angler species in Manitoba waters.
Prior to her diagnosis, Darah was an elite
athlete competing in many sports. She played ringette and soccer since the
early age of 3 years old and most recently, she belonged to the Manitoba Maple
Leafs AAA Hockey, Selkirk Steelers Hockey, Royals Club Volleyball, and competed
in the Hershey Provincial Track and Field qualifiers. Her ability to play competitive sports came
to an abrupt halt when she broke her leg running in a 100 m sprint qualifier in
June of 2011. This broken leg led us to her cancer diagnosis, multiple
treatments of chemotherapy, radiation and a rare rotationplasty amputation
surgery to preserve function with hopes of playing sports again one day.
This past May, Darah was asked to try out for
the Canadian National Sitting Volleyball Team in Edmonton. She trained hard several times a week with
aspirations of making it to Rio for the 2016 Paralympics. Just days short of
her try-out, Darah was stricken with a fourth relapse of cancer. She was determined to fight until the very
end with her Never Ever Give Up (NEGU) attitude. Even with no cure available, Darah remained
determined to try some of the newer treatments that were available at the MD
Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, TX.
Only weeks before her death, her and her family drove to Texas to seek
this treatment. Unfortunately, the
cancer became far more aggressive than the drugs that were used to treat it. It
was Darah’s last self-less wish to have her tumors harvested and sent to the
Children’s Oncology Group for research purposes to help find a cure for this
rare childhood and young adult cancer.
We would like to give special thanks to
Darah’s Pediatric Oncologist, Dr. Geoff Cuvelier, Nurses Michelle Morton and
Cathy Bourne, Child Life Specialist Dawn Kidder, Dr. Ken Brown of Vancouver
Children’s Hospital, Dan, Doug and Becky of the Rehabilitation Centre for
Children, the Pain and Symptom Management Team and the rest of the staff at
Children’s Hospital CK5 Ward and Cancer Care Manitoba for the limitless
support, care and comfort over the past two years. We would also like to thank
the Children’s Wish Foundation, Hockey Manitoba and VL Ranch Children’s Ride
for Wishes for allowing Darah’s dream to come true. She was granted her wish to
Hawaii in February 2013 during her last brief stretch of good health.
A private family Interment has taken place. A
public come-and-go Celebration of Life will take place in the Brokenhead River
Community Hall at 320 Veterans Lane in Beausejour, MB on Friday, September 6,
2013 from 6:30-9:30 pm. All are welcome
to pay their respects.
In Lieu of flowers or gifts, please help find
a cure and donate in Darah’s name to the Ewing’s Cancer Foundation of Canada 72
Rockport Crescent Richmond Hill, ON L4C 2L8
Richard
Wojcik of Wojcik’s Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, serving Beausejour, wojciksfuneralchapel.com 204 – 268 – 2263.
Wojcik’s
FUNERAL
HOME & CREMATORIUM
SERVING
BEAUSEJOUR, MANITOBA
1
- 866 - 424 - 6271 ~ 1 - 204 - 268 - 2263
www.wojciksfuneralchapel.com
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