Jonathan Pitre, Tina Boileau honoured by Governor General
He was known as the Butterfly Child.
Friday, the Governor General honoured Jonathan Pitre and his mother Tina Boileau during a ceremony at Rideau Hall.
Pitre was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross and his mother received the Meritorious Service Medal, recognizing courage and exceptional dedication to service.
"It's a very humbling day for us, it's full of emotions. I wish Jonathan was here to see everything he's done, he's done a lot of good work and I'm there to keep it going," said Boileau.
Pitre passed away in 2018 at the age of 17 after a lifelong battle with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a rare skin disease.
He spent his life raising awareness and funds for research, a commitment his mother has since taken on.
Pitre captured the hearts of Canadians displaying incredible courage, and set the highest standard -- confronting his illness with bravery and class.
"He wanted to raise funds so that one day we might not need to be talking about EB, I keep going because I'm a mom and I lost my child to EB, something no one should have to go through," said Boileau.
It isn't the first time Pitre's legacy has been recognized. In 2020, a new French Catholic elementary school in Riverside South was named in his honour and Jonathan Pitre Accessible Park is being built in his hometown of Russell.
"He never really recognized the impact he had on people. Everyone could relate to him because we all have good and bad days, and being able to have a school named after him, this is the first school named after a child, i think that's very powerful," said Tina.
While his mother received the Meritorious Service Cross for the late Jonathan Pitre on Friday, she's sure he was watching proudly.
"I think that right now I can hear his laugh, that belly laugh that was so contagious, that laugh I can still hear when I close my eyes. I think he would have a hard time believing everything that's happened over the years, but he would be so proud," Boileau said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.