11-year-old British Columbia advice book author celebrates birthday with fundraiser for deceased sister
Esquimalt, BC –
Before we can appreciate what Felix Townsin is hoping to get for his upcoming 12th birthday, we need to go back to the personal video showing the five-year-old opening a box full of books.
“(It’s) not just any book,” the boy said with a smile, pulling the hard cover back so the camera could see it. “(It’s my book!”
Felix was an author of published advice at the age of five.
“My parents gave me topics,” the 11-year-old explains of the writing process. “And I had just put all the advice on that topic in the book.”
It’s titled Do not floss your toes (before flossing your teeth) and features pages filled with preschool tips ranging from “People will always love you if your socks don’t fit”, to “Don’t go up in buildings unless you’re inside”, to “Eat your toast in the house”. ‘upside down – toppings taste best when they touch your tongue.
“He had a very unique and crazy outlook on life,” recalls Felix’s mother, Cheryl-Lynn Townsin.
His son also had a great admiration for his little sister Lexi.
“She had a mind that wanted to make the world a better place,” Cheryl-Lynn says.
Felix was Lexi’s biggest fan.
When the girl recorded a video to Santa saying that she didn’t need him to bring her a present (“It’s good for you to take a break so you can relax”) – she only wanted relief from the ultra-rare Blau syndrome which was causing him debilitating and excruciating inflammation throughout his body – Felix is committed to helping find a cure.
“He wanted everything to be better,” Cheryl-Lynn says. “And he had no way of doing it.”
Until he wrote this book of fundraising advice.
But then, two years ago, Lexi passed away unexpectedly.
Now the boy is offering his book again to help other people living with Blau.
“Felix is my hero,” Cheryl-Lynn said, fighting back tears. “He showed me that I can live after a loss that I never thought I could live.”
Through his website, Felix is using his book to try to raise $ 10,000 before his 12th birthday next week.
“I hope (Lexi) is up there and really proud of our work,” says Felix.
The website also includes a video of Lexi sitting at a piano singing, “The sun will come out tomorrow. Felix hopes, like the song’s lyrics, that his efforts can help another family find their happy ending just “in a day.”
