Headstone for Ella Julia Rose Crossett

Dear friends, family and community members,

With immense grief and sadness, on July 28th, we lost our beautiful Ella unexpectedly at age 2. She was the absolute center of our world, especially to her brothers, James, Carter and William. Ella was vibrant and energetic; she was our sunshine every day. Her best friend was her 5yr old brother James. They were two peas in a pod, always together, playing and chasing butterflies. Ella so loved chasing butterflies! She was such a light in our world, and even though it was brief, she left a legacy. Upon Ella's unexpected death, her family decided the best way to honour her and have her live on was to donate her organs. Despite the crippling loss and grief, her parents chose to spare another parent the same pain.

We know her heart beats in the chest of a young boy no older than 5yrs old. We also know that Ella's liver, pancreas, stomach and bowel have given new hope and the future of a normal life to a boy named Owen, age 5.

There is no word to describe the profound grief we all feel, yet the comforting feeling we have knowing that she saved two boys with her gift of organ donation.

I am asking for donations on behalf of my sister, Kristin Luckins and her husband, Jamie Crossett, to help with the headstone cost for their beautiful young daughter Ella Julia Rose Crossett. Funds are also needed to help with expenses incurred during this difficult time. The sudden loss has affected us all, but it has profoundly impacted James. Ella was a constant companion to James, and if you know James, you will understand that he has Autism, and this change has been difficult for him to process. While Jamie has returned to work part-time at the moment, Kristin has not been able to return to work as she needs to focus on healing, to grieve, and helping James cope. I want to see my sister and her family heal and take some time for themselves to be together and grieve privately. The remaining funds will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Ella's honour.

And please, talk with your families and consider being organ donors. Organ donation is not a tragedy, but it can be a beautiful light in the midst of one.

Thank you all ❤️