Guest blog – “Why I support 65_RedRoses and the #4Eva Campaign”
Thank you to our wonderful volunteer Bria for sharing this story about why she supports the #4Eva Campaign 
If you’re interested in sharing your story, join us!
I first became aware of Eva’s story when I was in high school. I came across a headline on the Georgia Straight website which read “Tragically, 65_RedRoses’ Eva Markvoort posts a goodbye video”. Although I didn’t know much about her at the time, I barely made it through two minutes of the video before I started tearing up. I read the article, visited her blog and tried to learn more about her life and what she was going through. Then I read her poetry, watched her documentary and educated myself on Cystic Fibrosis. I realized how fortunate I was to have never personally known anyone who had been affected by Cystic Fibrosis. When I found out that she had passed away I was angry and upset. I had never met Eva, never spoken to her, but her story resonated with me. It is an easy cause to support when you know that Cystic Fibrosis kills people like Eva; beautiful, artistic, talented, loving and courageous people. It hits them in their prime, when they are young and have so much left to learn and experience. Cystic Fibrosis is a culprit, stealing too soon the potential of those suffering from it.
Every time I recommend the 65_RedRoses documentary to a friend or family member, it comes along with a guarantee that they will fall in love with Eva and how she led her life. She has left a legacy that gives support to people living with Cystic Fibrosis. Knowing what she went through, even as an observer from a distance, makes me feel obliged to pass on and continue that legacy in any way that I possibly can. She brought an amazing amount of attention and funding to Cystic Fibrosis. Eva ignited hope for a cure and even though her life was cut short, she dedicated the years she had to making it better for those people that would be in her position in the future. A few months ago I visited her blog again and there was a post that read “Eva would have been 29”. It was unbelievably saddening to come to the realization that there are people all over the world with Cystic Fibrosis, fighting for their lives, who many not live to see twenty-nine.
The most crucial part of CF awareness is a push towards increased organ donation. We all have the chance to improve and extend the lives of others even after our own has ended. You can give someone the capacity to breath again. How incredible is that? In my opinion, it is one of the most effective forms of charity. Someone can live because of you. Think of what Eva accomplished in twenty-five years. Now think of all the people whose lives could be extended through organ donation. All those people would get the chance to continue doing great things, working towards making our world brighter and better. For me personally, it is an easy choice. It is the chance to pass on the ability to live. Like Eva, every year there are thousands of patients waiting for critical organ transplants across Canada. By being an organ donor you can make a difference to not just one person, but to many. For those receiving transplants, it is a second chance at life.
– Bria
If you are in Toronto, please check out “An Evening with Eva”, which is a screening of the film hosted by the Friends For Life Foundation on March 27th, at the Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West
