Age: Always 29
Parents: Jane George

Aniko is no longer with us, but we miss her every day. Aniko died Aug. 7, 2005, just a month before her 30th birthday, after a life filled with many good times, lots of love and some bad moments.

If, as the Wizard of Oz said to the Tin Man, "a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others," then Aniko was very big-hearted, indeed.

There were many things Aniko couldn't say or do: she was unable to walk without assistance, or talk at all. But she loved her family, caregivers, favourite songs and daily walks.

Despite many handicaps, Aniko had a good and relatively normal life - she attended school, where she was one of the first children in her rural school system to be integrated into a regular classroom. She grew up as part of a family, with her sister and, then, a brother, even as she fought an increasing lack of mobility and chronic illnesses, which required ever more care and vigilance.

"When Aniko smiled, her whole face would light up, and when she'd laugh, it could make your heart leap, for you knew she was experiencing pure joy," longtime caregiver recalled at her funeral.

Now, we visit Aniko in her new home, where other late family members, also dearly missed, watch over her. She lies under a weeping birch tree in a cemetery next to the tiny, yellow St. Thomas Church, where lines of apple trees stretch out, seemingly forever, into the distance.

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Aniko's Coffee Cup!












Donations to Date: $150

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