Quinn Dunbar - 13th Birthday - Nothing Short of Amazing

A NEW LEARNING
On January 8 2009 I wrote about Quinn Dunbar, a twelve year old who was originally diagnosed with a Medullablastoma Brain Tumor and who passed away on New Year's Day following five years of illness. Following his death, the family planned a memorial gathering and selected a roomy public auditorium for the venue to which eight hundred people came to rejoice in this small young man with the compelling smile and the pleasant, happy, uncomplaining demeanor. Of course it was a farewell but from all accounts it was a love fest with several hundred people. In the midst of such a long term struggle to cope and recover and live and move forward there is a community that develops, a network of friendships that understand and support and genuinely love one another.

Quinn's father Dave recently wrote a note to express how predictably and yet for them personally, they miss Quinn. As you will appreciate it doesn’t take more than a glance at a photo containing Quinn or the sound of a shared familiar tune to cause them to miss their sweetheart deeply all over again. It will be a continual reality. Here is a family that moved with Quinn through all the stages of his lingering illness and did not miss one aspect of caregiving and therefore surely can have no regrets from that standpoint. The regret is always for the missing cure.

Dave wrote that Quinn longed to be a teenager and a few days ago on March 19th 2009, the date of his birthday Quinn would have been thirteen. In a private ceremony at the Surrey Centre Cemetery, a headstone/gravemarker was unveiled and positioned.The family and a few friends celebrated his birthday this way, even enjoyed a birthday cake at home later. In his note Dave invited people to visit the site later to view the marker. Perhaps that is something you will care to do. Quinn loved playing Scrabble, so creatively, the family chose to design a gravestone with Quinn's full name spelled in Scrabble shaped letters. As is so often true of families that pass through this extended grief and understand the needs and all that is involved in caring for a sick person, Dave and Suzanne remain committed to the care of others who hurt as they have and are board members of the British Columbia Childhood Cancer Parents’ Association, which assists the families of children with cancer.

Visit British Columbia Childhood Cancer Parents’ Association site
You can make a contribution. Perhaps you can consider this? What a profound way to honour Quinn's memory.

Quinn's story and his journey are carefully recounted at a website dedicated to him.

QUINN DUNBAR

A NEW LEARNING Something about our age that makes Christine and me sensitive to children becoming ill and dying before reaching maturity and fulfilling adult dreams. Quinn Dunbar died on New Year’s Day. He was twelve years of age. We knew Quinn when he was a small boy. The Dunbar family attends the church that I pastored seven years ago. When we heard the news, Christine and I were deeply saddened for his family. We also reflected on how Quinn has lived for these years.

 Quinn was six years old when on September 2002 he was diagnosed with a Medullablastoma Brain Tumor the size of a tennis ball. There was surgery and chemo and radiation. Then cancer was in his spine and there were more treatments. He suffered blindness in one eye, hearing loss in one ear, damaged thyroid and compromised growth. In 2005 when the Dunbars were believing that Quinn was cured they learned he had another tumor in his brain and one on his spine. He began another fifteen months of oral chemo. As 2007 dawned some growth of his brain tumor compelled the Dunbars to go to Detroit for radiosurgery yet by October of ’07 there were more tumors and another Detroit trip. He became unbalanced, used a walker and a wheelchair and he coped courageously. Dan Ferguson of the Surrey Leader wrote a neat account on January 7 and stated that Quinn never uttered a complaint.

  His mother’s faithful journal account that you can read yourself informs us that his parents Dave and Suzanne made sure that Quinn got to do as many neat things as he had strength to do including trips to Disneyland, Hawaii, Florida, Niagara Falls, Mexico, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. That’s Dave and Quinn in Anne of Green Gables look-alike wigs. He also flew in a hot air balloon and glider and zip-lined and bungee-jumped. I read in Suzanne's journal that being an avid hockey fan, Quinn met Todd Bertuzzi and Gordie Howe, Trevor Linden and Matt Cooke.

Dave and Suzanne and sisters Kayla and Marissa, and two Grandmas miss Quinn and his smile so much. A Celebration of His Life is planned for January 18 at 3 PM at the Bell Centre for the Performing Arts when all who were touched by this good boy can honour him. His story and his journey are carefully recounted at a website dedicated to him. You go to this page, register your email address and write Quinn Dunbar in the appropriate boxes on this www.caringbridge.org website.