Central Maine’s Own Sweet William Passes Away Before Finishing His Bucket List

Today is a sad day for Maine. I recently wrote an article about a young 12-year-old boy who was diagnosed with spastic and bilateral schizenphaly. This means, he was unable to ambulate on his own and depended on a wheelchair. William required multiple forms of equipment to support his challenging medical needs but his life was full of love and his smile was never-ending.

I received a message on Monday evening from William's Social Worker letting me know that he had passed away early Sunday morning. William was surrounded by his loving daddy, step-mom and siblings and died in his sleep.

He was struggling to breath and deteriorating all week. He just couldn't keep fighting. His neurological condition is why he ultimately passed away says his social worker.

The article I put out was to help William complete his Bucket List because he was on palliative care.

The last item he wanted to fulfill on his list, with his family, was a trip to the Franklin Zoo in Boston. Because of a donation from Palermo business, Dimensional Timber, they provided William with the money to go to that zoo. However, William passed before he could go.

The bucket list consisted of attending a Harlem Globetrotters basketball game, going to a museum and a red sock game and other meaningful trips. Since William was on hospice care, he and his family only wanted to take each day, each hour, and each minute to make lasting memories with each other.

His family started a GoFundMe page online and helped to raise over $1,000. Now anything that has been collected in the GoFundMe is going towards final medical expenses and funeral costs.

I was never able to meet William but I feel as though we all know him.

I asked the family through William's social worker if their was anything they would like me to share with you all since you've been so supportive in donating to William and sending him endless prayers and love.

I received this,

"The amount of joy that was brought to that boy by a simple fart noise. He loved sports and music. He taught everyone to appreciate and value the simple things in life and always smiled. He just made everyone around him better. His smile was the most contagious thing and if you got him laughing it was one of the best sounds. He and his in-home Dave were the best of buddies. And Dave always went above and beyond for William. While William could not speak he said more than most people in an entire lifetime. He was a special soul and will be missed by everyone as he impacted so many people."

The money raised for his trip will now be going towards his urn. Friends of the family are trying to encourage them to go on the zoo trip to Boston as a memorial for William because they weren't able to go together.

They are having a public celebration of life next Saturday, March 19th from 5:00pm-8:00pm at The Buker Community Center at 22 Armory St. in Augusta. According to William's Obituary, in lieu of flowers they are asking to donate to RMHC, (Ronald McDonald House) and or The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. 

William will never be forgotten because love never dies. He was an unforgettable human who left a tremendous mark on every single person he met.

"While William could not speak he said more than most people say in an entire lifetime."

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