GLACE BAY, N.S. -- A small green space in front of Oceanview Education Centre in Glace Bay, N.S., now has special meaning.
It’s a place for people to sit, have a cup of tea, reminisce, and remember a 14-year-old girl who touched the hearts of many in the community.
“You think about her beauty, and you smile. I still can’t come to terms with it,” says Tina Kennedy-Lohnes, a guidance counsellor in Glace Bay. “I didn’t even know if I could ever come to do my job the same way again because of the impact she had on me.”
At the age of 12, Leigh-Anne Cox was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. She fought hard, but in the end, it took her life in June.
She left behind an entire community who followed her journey through "Team Leigh-Anne."
Although she only spent a short time on earth, the impact she had on her classmates, and even total strangers, lives on.
“She looked out for other people,” says Kennedy-Lohnes. “If you’re going through troubling times, and you’re looking for somebody else, then that’s going to get you through it. And that’s how we’re going to get through this together.”
A bench dedicated in Leigh-Anne’s memory now sits in front of her school, along with a tree, as her family and friends say she cared about the environment and had a love for nature.
“She insisted on having a patch of grass in her backyard that wasn’t mowed for the bees,” says Kennedy-Lohnes.
Her kindness inspired so many people at the school that teachers formed a ‘Bee Kind’ committee in her honour, to continue her legacy of spreading kindness and compassion for others.
Leigh-Anne’s mother Adele was her daughter's biggest cheerleader. This will be their first Christmas together, but Adele feels this small part has somehow brought the two closer together.
“I think it’s a wonderful tribute. It’s another branch of team Leigh-Anne,” says family friend Tammy Baxter. “It’s a place where we can always go reminisce about all of the good times Leigh-Anne has provided us. It’s a place for us to take out kids, so they can remember, and spend time with her.”
Forever remembered as an old soul, Leigh-Anne Cox was taken from the world too soon, but her impact on many will continue to be felt for years to come.
