Every single day at parent pick up she played one of the most signficant roles in looking after the campers and keeping them amused while they wait for their parents.

I once had the privilege of walking home in the same direction as Mariah and seeing what a nice person she really was and even found out that she went to Glenview when I did.

All I can say is that I am sad to hear that she is no longer with us, she made the world a better place.

My condolences to everyone

-Kyle Veysey

Through cancer, I don’t know how she did it. She had such incredible optimism. My gosh, I was always impressed by her weekly photo of herself. All she had was a webcam, herself and maybe a prop. Each week it was different. But she always had a resounding, enormous smile and big, huge eyes that read of pure and utter optimism.

I must have been one of Mariah’s friends to last see her. It was just one week ago. I came to her house to deliver a present. We talked. It was great. I was so happy to see her. Then, this shock. Her father called me with the news to tell the Centre Camp family.

I ended up going to her house for the Shiva with Rebecca and Golda. It was full circle. The first time I visited Mariah after she got cancer was with Rebecca and Golda.

As Rebecca commented above, Rebecca, Mariah and myself were really a trio at camp. When we dropped off Golda on the way home, who ended up meeting Mariah in the CIT program, it was only myself and Rebecca in the car. Not every summer in the past few were we with Mariah at camp, Rebecca had an internship and I had one this summer when Mariah was supposed to be there. But the trio was still an idea we had… and in that car, it came to an end.

Mariah was the most special person. You really meet so few people who have such love, optimism, joy and pure excitement to them. It is so sad.

Mariah brought joy and ambient excitement to many. I for one, and Rebecca and Golda I think I can speak safely for, truly loved her.

I remember the first time I met Mariah. The Bomin unit was sitting together during pre-camp and those of us who were seasoned Bonim staff were feeling pretty good about ourselves. We knew we were great staff. We knew what to expect. Being 20 at the time, I was a little wary about the new bunch of 16 year olds. Would they be any good? Would we have to teach them everything? The new 16 year old who was to be my co-counsellor was Mariah. And I had nothing to worry about. Mariah was a phenomenal counsellor, the best I had ever worked with. She was creative in coming up with new games, songs, and cheers for the campers. She even came up with new words to make the campers laugh. Mariah ended up teaching me so many things. I never had to worry because we were in Mariah’s more than capable hands.

Mariah and I became really close friends throughout the 3 summers that we worked together and she always made me smile. Even after she became sick, she always had a smile on her face. She didn’t want to talk about herself and her struggle when we talked. She wanted to know about how my life was going and she cheered me on every chance she got. She was so brave throughout her whole fight, never wavering in her spirit, and always trying to teach others how to make life better for those struggling with cancer like she was.

Mariah, you are my hero, as I’m sure you are to the many family, friends, an who knew you and loved you like I did.

A few summers ago, I was lucky enough to get Mariah as a co-counsellor. After the first day, I already knew that it was going to have to be on me to keep up with her wonderful skills with children. Every morning that entire summer, Mariah made a point of turning otherwise ordinary, mundane activities into spirit-filled fun! My distinct memory is that every time our 4-year-olds would line up to go between activities, Mariah insisted on turning that into an activity of its own. Not a lineup went by where our Bonim group wasn’t singing and dancing their way around camp, and the credit goes completely to Mariah. She showed me that life is about taking the little things and turning them into giant wonders and fun times. Every time I looked at a picture of Mariah along her battle with “The C Word”, her smile got bigger and bigger, because she knew she was getting closer and closer to winning. How fitting that Mariah’s last day in this world was on Rosh Chodesh, a time when we look back at the month prior and realize that whatever happened, now starts a new chapter, and we ought to go in with joy and happiness. When Mariah first received the news she would be starting chemo, she started a new chapter, ready to fight. When she found out she would need more, she closed the book on the old, and began the new chapter with an even bigger will to fight. Likewise with the radiation treatment most recently. Mariah was a true spirit, through and through, always ready to take on new beginnings and eager to make those around her happy with her infectious smile and joy of life. You will be dearly missed, Mariah, and you touched everyone around you, from family, to friends, to campers, and everybody else. Mariah, you have left an imprint on all our hearts, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that when it comes down to it, you showed everybody how amazing and precious life is. You won.