Tysen Lefebvre, Make-A-Wish advocate, dead at 25

Tysen Lefebvre, who helped raise more than $1 million for the Make-A-Wish foundation as a teenager, is dead at 25.

Tysen, who was known for his love of hockey, relentless fundraising and drive to pay it forward, passed away on Christmas Day surrounded by family.

The Make-A-Wish supporter and community advocate was born with Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes some skull bones to fuse too soon. The disorder affected his skull, facial features and limbs.

Throughout his life, he had dozens of surgeries, and spent half of his life in the hospital until he was three years old.

But that did not stop Tysen, who was committed to helping others and living by his motto of LGHSF (Let’s go have some fun).

When Tysen was 12 years old, he received his own wish from Make-A-Wish, travelling to Los Angeles to meet with his favourite actor, Adam Sandler.

The visit was the seed for Tysen to pursue what he described as his Mission to a Million.

“I saw the wall in Adam’s office full of pictures and souvenirs of all the awesome things he had done, and that made me think if he could do all those things on top of being a husband, dad, actor, producer, writer, comedian and still have time to meet me, then imagine what I could do,” Tysen told the Ottawa Citizen a decade ago.

“He is the inspiration for my mission,” Tysen added.

The idea for Tysen’s Mission crystalized at his Grade 6 graduation, he told the Ottawa Citizen. The students were asked to write about their future dreams, and Tysen wrote he wanted to be a writer and to raise $1 million for Make-A-Wish.

His parents, Scott and Linda, were taken aback. They knew he wanted to pay it forward for one person, but $1 million was worth about 100 wishes.

In 2018, Tysen succeeded at his goal, helping to raise the million for Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario.

His tireless efforts to raise money for the foundation that inspired him won Tysen the Mayor’s City Builder Award in 2016, a civic honour that recognizes an individual, group or organization that has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to making Ottawa a better place.

In a statement, the Make-A-Wish foundation said that it was “deeply saddened by the passing of Tysen Lefebvre” and that “today we mourn his loss while celebrating his extraordinary legacy.”

“After receiving his wish, he turned his experience into purpose through Tysen’s Mission to a Million, raising more than $1 million to help grant over 100 wishes for children facing critical illness, and continuing to give back right up until his passing,” the statement added.

The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

“We didn’t get the miracle we were praying for and we lost our precious boy today,” Tysen’s mother, Linda Lefebvre, said on Facebook.

“The world is a much sadder place now.”

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe also took to social media to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Tysen.

“We will all remember his warmth and the pride he took in giving back to the community,” Sutcliffe said.

“On behalf of the people of Ottawa, my thoughts are with everyone who was touched by his remarkable spirit.”

A celebration of life is to be held in a few weeks, according to a social media obituary.

The family is asking mourners to consider donations to Tysen’s favourite causes, including The Capital City Condors hockey club, Make-A-Wish Canada and the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.

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