XAVIER'S LEGACY

THE EARLY YEARS (1989 - 2001)

It's hard to put into words just how special Xavier was. From the moment he was born, he had a contagious smile that would light up the room. Dubbed their "happy little guy" by Mum and Dad, Xavier cruised around as an only child for 27 months, living in three different houses before he was joined by his baby sister Aja. Having settled into the house he would call home until the day he left this life, Xavier only had to wait 20 more months until he was joined by the third and final addition to the family: little brother Kyan. With Kyan in the picture the nuclear family was complete, and Xavier was perfect in his role as eldest sibling. He set a great example for his younger siblings, protecting and supporting them no matter what.

​

When Xavier was young, he was full of energy and loved to play every sport imaginable. Basketball, soccer, baseball, football, floor hockey - you name it, he played it. But more than anything, he loved spending time with his family. With numerous cousins, aunties, uncles, grandparents and more on both sides, Xavier was fortunate to be a part of an extended, yet close-knit group growing up. Some of his fondest childhood memories involved family road trips to amazing places like California, New Mexico, Texas, Vancouver Island, Drumheller, Disneyland, the Grand Canyon, and many other locations, as well as frequent family gatherings where he was able to spend time with his many relatives from both sides of his family tree.

​

Outside of the family, Xavier's circle included his friends from around the neighborhood. This consisted mainly of boys and girls that he met while attending school at École Marlborough Elementary, where he was enrolled in the french immersion program and would become fluent in the French language. As a schoolboy, Xavier spent his days running around the neighborhood with his siblings, and playing in the parks and the forest down the street. It was during his eleventh year that he got very interested in Warhammer, and he would spend hours on end painting figurines he purchased with the money he made from delivering the Burnaby Now Newspaper in his neighbourhood, and playing the game with his friends.  He forged very close relationships with everyone in his life, and his personality and zest for life left a lasting impression on those around him. It was probably because of this that many of his childhood friends remained his closest companions until he passed away. 

THE TEEN YEARS (2001 - 2008)

As Xavier grew up, he remained just as outgoing and happy-go-lucky as ever. As a teenager he had a variety of interests and hobbies that kept him busy. These were the years where he developed his passion for Warhammer, which he continued to enjoy throughout his life. Xavier was in fact an avid gamer, excelling at strategy-based games like RISK and Axis and Allies, as well as tactical games that he played on his PC computer with friends on a regular basis. But it wasn't just online and offline gaming for him. Always the sportsman, Xavier played American football in high school at Moscrop Secondary, and was recognized for his skills when he was named Conference Allstar as an offensive linesman. He was also a massive Minnesota Vikings fan, and their signature purple and gold would become the colours that represented Xavier in the eyes of those close to him. 

After graduating, Xavier was accepted into the government funded Katimavik program, which gave him the opportunity to spend nine months engaging in community service, outdoor activities, intercultural learning, and personal development while living with others his age across Canada. As the representative for his province of BC, Xavier lived in three different Canadian cities including Sherbrooke in Ontario, Trois-Rivieres in Quebec, and Salmon Arm in British Columbia, further expanding his experiences and knowledge. Upon returning from his time away from home, Xavier made the decision to enroll at the British Columbia Institute of Technology School of Broadcast and Media Communications where he would complete his Diploma in 2011.

THE 20-SOMETHING YEARS (2008 - 2018)

During his 20's, Xavier led a dynamic and adventurous life, and it was during his time at BCIT that he really started to hit his stride. Through the Broadcast Communications program, he met an amazing group of friends which he worked with on the BCIT radio station, Evolution 107.9 I Altering Radio. When he wasn't busy commentating games for the Junior 'A' local hockey team the Coquitlam Express, Xavier was always the heart of any party, dancing and laughing until the early hours of the morning. On the topic of laughter, it seems prudent to mention that Xavier had a very unique trait that he would become known for in all of his circles. Despite his imposing stature of 6'4"- Xavier possessed a distinctive and high-pitched laugh - a defining trait that endeared him to everyone he met. It was in fact such an infectious sound that whenever he laughed, everyone in the general vicinity couldn't help but laugh right along with him. And it was something he did often, for he was known to everyone as the happy guy that was always smiling.

​

Upon graduating from BCIT, Xavier utilized his prior experience with Katimavik to secure a position as a group coordinator for S-Trip!, where he accompanied Secondary School groups on Spring Break excursions to destinations such as the Dominican Republic. Although the experience was rewarding, Xavier soon discovered that he had a fear of flying. During this time, Xavier also assisted his father in coaching his younger brother Kyan's high school football team - the same team he himself had played on a few years prior. At this point his younger sister Aja had moved away from home to play University soccer in the U.S., and in true big brother fashion Xavier diligently messaged her every day so that she wouldn't get homesick. Looking out for his siblings and those that he loved was just one of the constants that he became known for. Another thing he was known for was his competitive nature. A few years after his father Tony had recovered from open heart surgery in 2009, much of the family agreed to attempt the Innaugural Tough Mudder event in Vancouver in 2012. Xavier had stopped playing football at this point and wasn't in the best shape of his life, but he was determined to be fit enough to complete the obstacle course with his Dad who had just overcome such a huge barrier in his own health. Not only did he complete the event despite tearing a muscle halfway through, he trained for a year straight afterwards and completed it the following year as well and in much faster time, with his sister Aja and brother Kyan. 

​

In 2014 after Xavier's sister graduated from University and moved back to their hometown of Burnaby, BC, the two of them began working together at the Cactus Club Cafe in Yaletown. They spent the better part of two years working as line cooks in the same kitchen. During this time Xavier continued to pursue his hobbies in Warhammer and gaming, collecting entire sets and arenas that stretched across the length of a whole room. He would set these up in the garage and hold massive tournaments with his friends. He was also very immersed in the music scene, attending heavy metal concerts with his brother and friends whenever he could. 

THE FINAL YEARS AND ILLNESS (2018 - 2020)

Towards the end of his 20's, things started to change a bit for Xavier. The economy in Vancouver had gone downhill for everyone, and it was difficult to find meaningful work at a livable wage while living independently. With his 30's fast approaching him and being forced to continue living at home due to the cost of living crisis, Xavier was undeniably feeling a bit down. It seemed to go from bad to worse in 2018, when his mother Fionna was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately it was detected early and she was able to get treatment through Chemo, Radiation, and Hormone Blocker Therapy and was on the mend in early 2019. Always the caring and selfless person that he was, Xavier understandably focused on helping his mother and being there for her through her health crisis. However, despite going through the traumatic health scare that she was currently experiencing herself, Fionna had a strong mother's instinct that things were not right with her son either. The following excerpts were written by Fionna, and document her experience with the timeline of events leading up to Xavier's diagnosis and subsequent passing.

​

Christmas 2019: "I noticed that Xavier did not look well, and I didn't like the dark circles around his eyes. I had read somewhere that dark circles around the eyes were a sign of liver troubles. I told him to make a doctor's appointment and get a physical. He told me not to worry and to relax, that he could take care of himself and that I should worry about myself and my own recovery. I also noticed that his personality had changed and that he had become withdrawn, and not as social as he usually was. He was a happy, outgoing person his whole life. I assumed it was just stress about being 30 years old in this tough economic climate, and that he was worried about me as he had helped me through my chemo and radiation earlier that year. He also seemed very unmotivated and tired all the time. Xavier went to two doctor's appointments and then he and his brother Kyan both had a physical to keep my concerns at bay. Their tests all came back normal and they were told they currently had complacent lifestyles and to go home and lose some weight. Xavier's stomach looked large at this time so he did look overweight."

​

April 2020: "Most of us were home, laid off due to COVID-19 and I began to think Xavier was severely depressed as he would sleep on different couches and in different rooms in the house. I brought this up to his brother and Kyan said that he wasn't depressed, that his back was just really bugging him and that he couldn't get comfortable to sleep while lying flat. When I questioned Xavier with my concerns, he said it was no big deal as he had injured his back years ago and he said it just flares up every now and then and not to worry. In the middle of May we went to visit my brother, who is struggling with a rare disorder called Ataxia. Xavier's back was bothering him again and he said that he just slept on it wrong and, again, to not worry about him. He did not eat dinner as he got sick part-way through and laid down in bed. We all thought he was just feeling a little hungover as he had some drinks with his uncles the night before. He seemed upbeat and social and normal in every other way. But I also noticed that he wasn't eating much that month as he wasn't coming upstairs for dinner as usual. He would say that he had already eaten."

​

End of May, 2020: "I came home and Xavier was sitting in the dark in the living room, and I noticed his eye was terribly bloodshot and I immediately got concerned and wanted to take him to the Hospital Emergency. He, again, told me he was fine and that we couldn't go down to Emergency during COVID for something so minor as a popped blood vessel; but I got a very bad feeling as his eye was full of blood and did not look good. I had been having a very bad gut feeling since Christmas that things were not right with my son, but he seemed to be downplaying how he was feeling. Maybe because I was stressed about my Cancer, my brother's debilitating Ataxia that had shown up out of thin air and accelerated very quickly, and all of us were consumed with COVID fears".

​

June 3rd, 2020: "I was sitting with Xavier in the living room, and I was upset because that was the day I was supposed to be picking my daughter and her partner up from their flight from England (she had lived there since 2016), but COVID had caused all flights to be cancelled. That was when I noticed that Xavier really didn't seem well. I told him to be truthful with me and he then told me that he always feels full and that he vomits when he eats...or can only eat a little bit then feels full even though he is still hungry, and that he had rectal bleeding. I took him immediately down to the hospital Emergency at Burnaby General Hospital. They tested his blood and urine. I was given no information as my Son was an adult, however, on his files they wrote that he presented with hematochezia due to hemorrhoids, dark urine for a month, no appetite, and nausea and vomiting when eating. They scheduled him for an abdomen ultrasound."

​

June 8th, 2020: "I took him back to Burnaby General for his abdomen ultrasound. He was told that his spleen was slightly enlarged (splenomegaly) but the other organs all seemed unremarkable. It also stated that he had a small to moderate amount of ascites. He was sent home."

​

June 15th, 2020: "I was getting increasingly disturbed and concerned with the way he looked. His abdomen was unnaturally extended and he did not look well at all. He said he was feeling bloated and uncomfortable. I rushed him down to Burnaby General Emergency again. He came out and said they were going to fix him with a day surgery on June 18. Again, he was an adult so I couldn't ask any questions to the Doctors or staff. I brought him home again."

​

June 18th, 2020: "I took him to an appointment with his GP, then to Burnaby General for his day surgery - percutaneous abdominal fluid drainage - they drained 4 litres of ascites out of his abdomen (and apparently the sample was misplaced and it was not tested!). They released him and I brought him home and he looked better and said he felt much better and he slept well. I had noticed that he had been sleeping a lot in the last 2 weeks."

​

June 21st, 2020: "Xavier came out to dinner with his Dad and myself for Father's Day. This would be the last meal he would ever eat with us. We had a delicious meal and everything seemed fine. When we were leaving the restaurant, he said he would quickly use the washroom. Everything seemed normal, but I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and I asked him if he had gotten sick...and he said no, don't worry about me, Mom. When we got home, I asked him to show me his paperwork from the hospital results and he said not to worry, so I demanded to see them and he got them for me. His bloodwork seemed off and I did not know what ascites was so I googled "What causes 4 litres of Ascites"...it said cirrhosis, cancer, amyloidosis. I had never heard of Amyloidosis and all 3 of these things terrified me. I researched amyloidosis. I began to realize that whatever he had could possibly kill him."

​

June 24th, 2020: "On this day, we took our Son, Xavier for the last ride he would ever have in our car with us. We drove him to Burnaby General Hospital Emergency and we said "our Son isn't leaving here until you find out what is wrong with him and you fix him." He was given a room and we were promptly locked out for 8 days, due to COVID restrictions. He was in there scared and dying by himself. He had no idea what was happening to him and we were not told much to help him. From June 25 to July 10, he was tested and treated at Burnaby General and Royal Columbian in New Westminster as he declined rapidly and they came to the conclusion that he had Amyloidosis through a liver biopsy at RCH. He was finally sent to Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) on July 11 where he would leave us forever on July 16 after a major heart attack on the morning of July 14th - the day after his bone marrow biopsy (the results of which did not get back from the Mayo Clinic until after he was gone). Apparently the systemic AL Amyloidosis started in his spleen, then spread to his liver, kidneys, and finally his heart. He did not show symptoms until it was too late. They did not look for it, nor did they know what to look for as the incidence of it happening to a 30-year-old is also very rare. Our hearts are beyond broken and the hole that is left in our family by his leaving will never be filled."

​

Based on evidence from the above excerpts, and from photos taken of Xavier during this time, it is now believed that he may have been suffering with Amyloidosis for 6 months to possibly up to two years before it ultimately took his life. Despite remaining positive and optimistic throughout his battle and fighting with every fiber of his being, the amyloid buildup had affected too many vital organs by the time it was discovered, and Xavier had no chance. After suffering a massive heart attack on July 14th, Xavier was placed on life support in Vancouver General Hospital, where he would pass away two days later at the young age of 30 on July 16th, 2020. He was surrounded by his loved ones, including his sister Aja who had managed to arrange an emergency flight home after hearing of his heart attack. Although we lost him far too soon, Xavier's memory lives on in all of us who knew and loved him. Remembered affectionately as "The Dude" who was mellow in nature and always had a laugh to share, Xavier was a truly remarkable person who touched the lives of countless people. Current research suggests that Amyloidosis may not be as rare as we currently believe it to be, and that many cases may simply go undiagnosed and slip under the radar. Through this website and our Journey For X bike rides, we hope to raise awareness and funding for the research that will one day find a cure for AL Amyloidosis. One of the biggest ways we can achieve that goal is to use Xavier's Legacy to spread awareness to not only the general public, but to healthcare practitioners alike in hopes that no one else has to suffer in silence the way Xavier did.