The Death Of An Angel, Elijah Marsh, Who Moved A Nation

By Sandy Daley
Pride Contributing Writer

It has certainly been a very difficult week for us all here in Toronto.

The death of three year old Elijah Marsh rocked us all to our very core; so hard that many of us were unable to eat or sleep as we thought about that beautiful angel out in the cold – alone. “How could such a thing happen?” we all wondered. It could have been anyone, we all concluded. Yet, we all silently or loudly cried at the death of Elijah as if he was our own son, as if we knew him from birth, as we would sometimes watch him play on the playground. Of course we did not know him personally, but we all adopted him into our lives, as if he was our little boy, praying for him from the moment that we heard the news of his disappearance, and crying out aloud when news broke of his death.

I personally have been crying for days, unable to sleep or eat properly, as I thought about this curious, seemingly bright young boy (according to all who knew him or watched him grow). I looked at Elijah and saw my own “almost toddler” and it broke my heart to no end.

The out-pouring of love and support for Georgette Marsh (Elijah’s mother) has been amazing, and the money raised (over $173,000 when the Crowdfunding campaign ended on Sunday night) is a true reflection of how this story has moved us, not only here in Toronto, but around the world. The goal was $20,000 and even when that was surpassed, many still continued to give.

There is still goodness in this crazy, cynical world that we live in! This horrible tragedy has proven that good prevails over evil, as even in the darkest of hours, human beings can and will do the right thing. People felt compelled to give, even though they knew that the funeral costs were of course already covered. Many put into consideration (as I am) that there would be so many other costs to cover, such as bills etc., as I am sure that both parents will need to take time off work to grief. Counselling perhaps would be a consideration, as the manner in which this angel died is so difficult to handle, that anyone who has to deal with this will definitely need professional help of some sort. I am thrilled that this money is available to the family in order to help them through the grieving process.

We are all still in shock at the death of Elijah, and I am convinced that we will never be the same, as this event has shown us that anything can happen to any of us, at any given moment, at any time of the day, no matter how religious or how much of a “law-abiding citizen” we are. The answer as to “why?” this happened to such a lovely, innocent little boy, or to such a tight-knit family, will never be given to us or to them; as only the Lord up above knows all the answers.

However, we can learn from this event. If nothing else, it has taught us to not take anyone or anything for granted, as it can be taken away from you at any given moment, any given day or night, no matter how careful and cautious we are when we tuck our children into bed at night. We are also reminded that every day that we are on this earth should be seen as nothing but a gift, and our loved ones are with us only for the time that they are allowed to be.

Tell your children that you love them more often, hug them a little tighter at night when you say “goodnight”, as you are eternally blessed to have God’s gift (a child) in your life, if you have one.

R.I.P. little Elijah….you have truly touched us all! Georgette Marsh and Curt Barry, our prayers are with you as you go through this difficult time. May you find peace in your souls!

Sandy Daley is a columnist, radio and television personality and actress. She is also the author of “Whose Vagina Is It, Really?” She can be contacted at: Website: www.sandydaley.com, Facebook: womanincontrol@facebook.com, Twitter: twitter.com/whosevaginaisit and/or Email:thesinglegirlspot@gmail.com.