Friends and family gathered Monday to say a final farewell to 13-year-old Evan Frustaglio, the otherwise healthy Etobicoke boy who died of the H1N1 virus.
The boy’s father, Paul Frustaglio, said this tragic case serves as an important reminder for parents to keep a close eye on their kids’ condition this flu season.
Evan's sudden death last Monday, which put a human face on this new virus, helped sparked the massive turnout at vaccination clinics across the province last week -- crowds that caught health officials on all levels of government off-guard.
An aspiring hockey player, Evan played for the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s AA minor bantam Mississauga North Stars and was a student at The Hill Academy, a sports-oriented private school in Vaughan.
Several of Evan’s teammates attended a visitation service in Woodbridge Sunday. The boy’s funeral was held at the All-Saints Catholic Church on Royal York Road, near Eglinton. The 900-seat church was full of mourners long before the ceremony began.
"It truly amazes me that Evan's death
has captured a nation trying to find answers to a disease that is currently
wearing the face of Evan Frustaglio," his father said during a eulogy for his
eldest son.
"We must learn from our loss and all
become educated on a disease that took our son's life."
The priest presiding over the service suggested people forgo shaking hands for the sign of peace and asked mourners to instead to bow or nod, in accordance with new H1N1 guidelines issued by the Archdiocese of Toronto.
"The kiss of life is fleeting," Evan's father said in his eulogy. "It is over before you
know it. So never let the obligations of life distract you from the cherished
gift of family."
Evan was taken to a walk-in clinic the day before he passed away, where a doctor assured his family he’d be okay. The following day he collapsed after taking a bath and was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital, but by the time he arrived it was too late to save him.
With files from the Canadian Press.