Touching photo of teen's coffin filled with messages goes viral
A photo of Lauren shared on her Facebook page, Hope for Lauren Hillier
A touching photo of a teen's coffin with special messages written on it is quickly going viral.
Laura Hillier, an 18-year-old from Ontario, Canada, was completely cancer-free for approximately four years after her first battle with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) but relapsed in May of 2015. Though Laura was able to achieve remission for a second time, she relapsed again in November 2015 and was not able to get a transplant bed in time. She died on January 20, 2016.
The photo shows her wooden coffin filled with colorful messages. Some shares on social media suggest these are yearbook messages to Lauren because she never got her yearbook. However, friends and family have confirmed that Lauren did receive her yearbook, but that the messages left on her coffin were "equally full of love".
You can learn more about Laura and her legacy on her Facebook page, Hope for Laura Hillier.
Her family is also working with the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation to gather funds that will help improve the stem cell transplant waiting list in Ontario. You can learn more about that or make a donation here.