Chilliwack – He touched many in the Fraser Valley and around the world. There was a Public Celebration of Life for Ethan Flemming on November 20 at Evergreen Hall.
The young man’s brave fight with cancer showed his desire to live, get back to school and hopefully, find a cure.
Thank you to Ethan’s mom, Tanna for inviting everyone to the celebration of life.
Ethan was an amazing young man . While battling cancer, he never let it get him down.
At the celebration, it was announced that a bursary in Ethan’s name is in the works for his old school, Imagine High
FVN background from May 2022 is here.
Ethan’s obituary in the Chilliwack Progress:
January 30, 2006 – September 9, 2022
Ethan passed away in the early morning hours of September 9, 2022 at the age of 16, after a 9 year battle with various types of cancers resulting from Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, which is a rare disorder that increases the likelihood of developing cancers.
Ethan was born in Chilliwack, BC on the January 30, 2006 to parents Walter and Tanna Fleming, and his sister Rebecca Fleming.
At the age of 7 he was diagnosed with his first cancer, Osteosarcoma. That didn’t stop him from being an energetic, loving kid who lit up the room, and loved to make people laugh. During the few short years that he was cancer free he did his best to be a kid again. He enjoyed his time with family and friends, travelling and going to school just like he wanted.
Shortly before his 14th birthday, Ethan relapsed with a second cancer, Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The treatment included his sister, Rebecca, donating her stem cells to him, allowing him to live another 2 years, which was mostly spent at BC Children’s Hospital.
During the Christmas season of 2021, Ethan was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Although recovery seemed unlikely, he chose to keep fighting and never gave up. He loved school and fought hard to attend the first day at Imagine High, and did so despite being release from ICU just one week before.
At Ethan’s request his body was donated to BC Children’s Hospital for cancer research.
Ethan is survived by his parents, Walter and Tanna Fleming; his sister, Rebecca Fleming; his grandmother, Jessie Fleming; his grandfather, Kirk Magel; and several aunts, uncles and cousins. He is predeceased by his grandfather, Walter Fleming Sr. and his grandmother, Carol Dennhardt.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 2:00pm-4:00pm on Sunday, November 20, 2022, at the Evergreen Hall at 9291 Corbould Street in Chilliwack. Ethan’s story was followed by many on the Ethan’s World Facebook page, and he touched so many lives with his courage, strength and will to keep fighting. Ethan would be honored to have all those who knew him or his story join in the Celebration of Life.
The family would like to thank the many doctors and nurses at BC Children’s Hospital for helping our boy survive for as long as he did. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Oncology department at BC Children’s Hospital in Ethan’s memory.
