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Charlotte Duschenes-Best.The Globe and Mail

Charlotte Duschenes-Best: Daughter. Sister. Music Lover. Inspiration. Born Jan. 23, 1993, in Montreal; died Nov. 3, 2017, of complications related to PTLD/lymphoma; aged 24.

Charlotte was born with Moyamoya – a rare disease causing a narrowing of the major arteries to the brain. This led to several strokes before she was two months old which left her completely dependent for all her daily needs.

If quality of life, however, is defined by the joy one gets from living, Charlotte’s was incomparably high. Aided by the unwavering determination of her parents, brother and sister, Charlotte experienced as much in her 24 years as many people do in a much longer lifetime: she travelled, went to summer camp, swam, cycled, tobogganed and participated in adapted downhill and water-skiing. During her final stay in hospital, one of the many dedicated nurses who cared for her over the years, looked at a photo montage pasted on the wall and remarked: “My Lord, she’s done more than I have!”

Charlotte loved music, inspired no doubt, by her parents’ long careers in Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain. She attended countless concerts and livened up the applause with her hoots of appreciation, much to the delight of the audience, musicians and their conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, with whom she had a friendship.

Moyamoya led to a myriad of complications including renal failure followed by a kidney transplant and three bouts of lymphoma. Despite this, the only time Charlotte was distraught by health issues was when they affected others. The mere mention of someone being unwell could bring her to tears. She never complained about her own struggles and looked forward to going to the hospital as it gave her a chance to see her countless friends: GPs, specialists, dialysis technicians, nurses, orderlies and therapists.

At the hospital, as elsewhere in life, she was especially fond of men. Female health professionals jokingly complained that it was hard to retain Charlotte’s attention once a man walked into the room. But one of her quirks was that the only guys she wasn’t interested in were those meant to cheer her up, such as male hospital clowns or even Santa Claus.

More than 350 people attended her memorial service. From her large extended family, to her classmates, teachers, caregivers and the endless parade of health-care professionals, everyone was marked by Charlotte’s joie de vivre, her humour and – as everyone who spoke at the memorial service mentioned – her laugh.

Charlotte is, and will be, missed, but we’re grateful for all she taught us about compassion, courage, joy and the ability of the human spirit to shine brightly regardless of the body in which it is housed.

Peter Duschenes is Charlotte’s uncle.

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Lives Lived celebrates the everyday, extraordinary, unheralded lives of Canadians who have recently passed. To learn how to share the story of a family member or friend, go to tgam.ca/livesguide

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