By Kellah Lavoie

Memory of young boy motivates fundraiser

Aug 7, 2011 | 8:19 AM

It’s been two years since Eoin Houle passed away, but family friend Darwin Zurakowski isn’t ready to give up the fight.

Houle, who was only two, died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in May 2009. He was diagnosed when he was 15 months old and lost the battle about a year-and-a-half later, after undergoing chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.

Zurakowski, co-owner of Mark-It Signs, held a barbeque on Friday, along with his business partner Graham, to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. They used their one-year anniversary as a date.

“It seemed a little self-serving to have it for ourselves, so we thought we would do it for a cause,” he said.

When talking about Houle, Zurakowski swelled with emotion.

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“He unfortunately didn’t have a long life, but in the short time he was around he touched a lot of people.”

“He brought a lot of people together, his parents, good friends of mine, posted day-in and day-out the things that they were going through and it touched a lot of people… You never forget something like that.”

He called what Houle’s family went through a tragedy. Even though Eoin has been gone for two years, he isn’t going to give up the fight helping other people.

“It’s a fight that you just can’t stop it, it can’t be a trend, it can’t be a fad, it’s got to be something that you keep up and keep with,” Zurakowski said.

Mark-It Signs ended their three-hour barbeque with $754 for the charity. He said the support was fantastic, with one neighbouring business donating $250.

“The city really seems to pull together for a good cause,” he said.

klavoie@panow.com