Obituary for Yannick William Cole Davidson
"Oh mamma, I'm so sorry but I gotta hold you this morning. I can't take it anymore. I'm just broken now after last night. The pain just isn't going away and it's Sunday. I just gotta hold you for 5 mins. it's the only thing I have left now . Please, you don't know how this feels."
Early on Sunday morning, March 8th, 2020, Yannick sent this message from his HSC room to his mother. This was the beginning of the worse day of our life. Yannick passed away in the ICU on Monday, March 9th, 2020, at 3:15 am, having never regained consciousness after going into cardiac arrest.
Yannick William Cole Davidson entered this world on August 29, 1985, at 11:53 am. Waiting for him at home was his visiting maternal grandmother, Mémère Trudeau, and his big brother James (20 month-old) who didn't know what to think about this new stranger living with us and was somewhat disappointed when the intruder didn't leave with Mémère at the airport. Nonetheless, James learned to tolerate his baby brother and Yannick grew to adore his big brother. Soon, they will form a formidable duo of mischief-makers. Thanks to his brother, as hard as he tried, Yannick found it hard to stay out of trouble. Around Christmas time particularly, he tried so much to be on his best behaviour. I remember one Christmas, as the song Santa Claus is coming to town played on the radio, I could hear Yannick, as he was walking across the kitchen floor, muttering to himself, "Be good, be good, be good….I'm tired of being good all the time!". He was three.
Growing up, Yannick enjoyed camping with his family and going fishing with his dad and his brother. Although he tried skating, baseball, football and judo, Yannick wasn't crazy about sports and preferred swimming above all else. In later years, he enjoyed watching basketball and hockey games with his brother at home. He dreamed of attending a hockey game in person with James, but the lack of money and ticket accessibility, and eventually his declining health, didn't make it possible.
Yannick loved music and going to concerts when he could afford to. His kindness and generosity with his family and his friends permeated his live. He never had a lot of money, but when he did, he liked to spoil those around him. I will never forget the Cold Play concert tickets that he bought for the 3 of us. We had such a great time making memories together at that concert.
Yannick was philosophical about life. He never judged people and accepted every one the way they were. He had a forgiving nature, never held grudges against anyone and always forgave those who crossed him. Not having many family members around him in his adult life, Yannick turned to his friends for support and affirmation. He was always loyal to his friends and he cared deeply for them.
Yannick lived his life on his terms. He did not conform to social "norms". But he wasn't a rebel. He was a free spirit who lived in the present. He was a dreamer. He had a creative soul. Yannick's great love was for movies and moviemaking and particularly screenplay writing which led him to Winnipeg where he took some courses with the Winnipeg Film group. "Yan" as he was known to his friends, was also an artist. His medium of choice was always film from an early age, taking inspiration from movies like Lost In Translation, Vanilla Sky and The Big Lebowski which became cult favourites among himself and his friends. In those early years he also enjoyed writing screenplays and dreamed of getting into directing and film production. At other times he dabbled in music production and there was never a shortage of guitars, amplifiers and Korg machines in his room. Later he took his artistic skills to the human canvas and took up tattoo artistry with the hope of starting his own business one day.
Yannick battled his opioid addiction head-on, with the support of his father, mother and brother. He overcame both his heroin and later his methadone addictions on his own as no program were available for him at the time. Later, he used the same determination to overcome his alcohol addiction. But all these victories couldn't save him from the disease that was eating his liver. Yannick's determination convinced the doctors at Toronto General Hospital to admit him into their liver transplant program. Sadly, he never got that lifesaving call that a liver was available. But we are so proud of how he overcame all those obstacles.
We stand here today with a broken heart. The loss of a child is something no one can prepare for. Even during the last hours of his life, as the world came crashing down, I refused to believe that he was dying, although Yannick himself knew it and told me so as he was hugging me for the last time before they carried him to the ICU from his room. I wasn’t ready. I'm still not ready. He had so many dreams and so many plans for the future, after getting his new liver. He would have made these dreams come true. I have no doubt about that. But his life was cut short. He never got a chance.
Yannick is survived by his father, Len Davidson, his mother, Claudine Davidson and his brother James, as well as some uncles, aunts and cousins on both sides and some very good friends. He was predeceased by his paternal and maternal grand-parents, his beloved dogs Clifford and Scout and a Siamese cat named Cleo.
A grave site service will take place on August the 8th, 2020 at Russell Memorial Gardens in Russell, Manitoba, at 11:30 am. A lunch will be served afterward at a facility in town.
In memory of Yannick, please donate your organs by signing a donor card or signing up online at https://www.canadiantransplant.com/ or https://www.signupforlife.ca/ .
Early on Sunday morning, March 8th, 2020, Yannick sent this message from his HSC room to his mother. This was the beginning of the worse day of our life. Yannick passed away in the ICU on Monday, March 9th, 2020, at 3:15 am, having never regained consciousness after going into cardiac arrest.
Yannick William Cole Davidson entered this world on August 29, 1985, at 11:53 am. Waiting for him at home was his visiting maternal grandmother, Mémère Trudeau, and his big brother James (20 month-old) who didn't know what to think about this new stranger living with us and was somewhat disappointed when the intruder didn't leave with Mémère at the airport. Nonetheless, James learned to tolerate his baby brother and Yannick grew to adore his big brother. Soon, they will form a formidable duo of mischief-makers. Thanks to his brother, as hard as he tried, Yannick found it hard to stay out of trouble. Around Christmas time particularly, he tried so much to be on his best behaviour. I remember one Christmas, as the song Santa Claus is coming to town played on the radio, I could hear Yannick, as he was walking across the kitchen floor, muttering to himself, "Be good, be good, be good….I'm tired of being good all the time!". He was three.
Growing up, Yannick enjoyed camping with his family and going fishing with his dad and his brother. Although he tried skating, baseball, football and judo, Yannick wasn't crazy about sports and preferred swimming above all else. In later years, he enjoyed watching basketball and hockey games with his brother at home. He dreamed of attending a hockey game in person with James, but the lack of money and ticket accessibility, and eventually his declining health, didn't make it possible.
Yannick loved music and going to concerts when he could afford to. His kindness and generosity with his family and his friends permeated his live. He never had a lot of money, but when he did, he liked to spoil those around him. I will never forget the Cold Play concert tickets that he bought for the 3 of us. We had such a great time making memories together at that concert.
Yannick was philosophical about life. He never judged people and accepted every one the way they were. He had a forgiving nature, never held grudges against anyone and always forgave those who crossed him. Not having many family members around him in his adult life, Yannick turned to his friends for support and affirmation. He was always loyal to his friends and he cared deeply for them.
Yannick lived his life on his terms. He did not conform to social "norms". But he wasn't a rebel. He was a free spirit who lived in the present. He was a dreamer. He had a creative soul. Yannick's great love was for movies and moviemaking and particularly screenplay writing which led him to Winnipeg where he took some courses with the Winnipeg Film group. "Yan" as he was known to his friends, was also an artist. His medium of choice was always film from an early age, taking inspiration from movies like Lost In Translation, Vanilla Sky and The Big Lebowski which became cult favourites among himself and his friends. In those early years he also enjoyed writing screenplays and dreamed of getting into directing and film production. At other times he dabbled in music production and there was never a shortage of guitars, amplifiers and Korg machines in his room. Later he took his artistic skills to the human canvas and took up tattoo artistry with the hope of starting his own business one day.
Yannick battled his opioid addiction head-on, with the support of his father, mother and brother. He overcame both his heroin and later his methadone addictions on his own as no program were available for him at the time. Later, he used the same determination to overcome his alcohol addiction. But all these victories couldn't save him from the disease that was eating his liver. Yannick's determination convinced the doctors at Toronto General Hospital to admit him into their liver transplant program. Sadly, he never got that lifesaving call that a liver was available. But we are so proud of how he overcame all those obstacles.
We stand here today with a broken heart. The loss of a child is something no one can prepare for. Even during the last hours of his life, as the world came crashing down, I refused to believe that he was dying, although Yannick himself knew it and told me so as he was hugging me for the last time before they carried him to the ICU from his room. I wasn’t ready. I'm still not ready. He had so many dreams and so many plans for the future, after getting his new liver. He would have made these dreams come true. I have no doubt about that. But his life was cut short. He never got a chance.
Yannick is survived by his father, Len Davidson, his mother, Claudine Davidson and his brother James, as well as some uncles, aunts and cousins on both sides and some very good friends. He was predeceased by his paternal and maternal grand-parents, his beloved dogs Clifford and Scout and a Siamese cat named Cleo.
A grave site service will take place on August the 8th, 2020 at Russell Memorial Gardens in Russell, Manitoba, at 11:30 am. A lunch will be served afterward at a facility in town.
In memory of Yannick, please donate your organs by signing a donor card or signing up online at https://www.canadiantransplant.com/ or https://www.signupforlife.ca/ .