In only 10 years, Bella Thomson created lasting memories for everyone who spent cherished time with her.
“She was a really awesome kid,” Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Shawn Bane Jr. said. “It was an honour to meet her.”
The same sentiment is expressed by Courtney Odelein-Akakpo, head coach and head choreographer of the 620 CKRM Rider Cheer Team.
“She had so much life and goodness,” Odelein-Akakpo said. “You could see that on social media, but it was amplified in real life.”
The little girl who was beloved as “Bella Brave” by a legion of social media followers passed away on July 14 at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
She had spent much of her life in hospital after being born with dwarfism, severe combined immunodeficiency and an intestinal disorder known as Hirschsprung’s disease.
A celebration of Bella’s life was held on Saturday in her hometown of Swift Current. Those who attended were encouraged to wear pink, her favourite colour.
In that spirit, the Cheer Team paid tribute to Bella during the Roughriders’ July 19 home game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“It was the Cheer Team co-captain Kaitlyn’s idea to bring out our pink poms in honour of Bella at our last game,” Odelein-Akakpo said.
“That was her favourite colour, those are our favourite poms to use and, as was the case with Bella, those pink poms make such an impression.
“We also had two Cheer Team members, Josi and Jas, go out on their own and make pink ribbons in honour of Bella that we wore at the game.
“I will absolutely keep my pink ribbon on my Cheer Team fanny pack for the duration of the season to remind myself to have a little bit of that confidence that Bella had.”
When Bella was at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon, Bane Jr. and running back Frankie Hickson visited with her during training camp this past spring.
“She had awesome energy,” Bane Jr. said. “The way she carried herself, it was like nothing ever happened to her. She was really high-energy and she had a really high spirit.
“I’m glad they chose me and I’m glad I was able to meet her and her family. Everybody was really welcoming and really comforting.
“It just made me look at my life differently and carry myself in a much more positive manner.”
Bella’s life was an open book, as evidenced by the fact that she had 7.4 million followers on TikTok and 456,000 on Instagram.
“I didn’t know she was super-famous,” Bane Jr. said. “When I posted a picture, so many people said, ‘Oh my God. I follow her on TikTok,’ and ‘I follow her journey.’
“I didn’t realize how much of an impact she was making, so I’m glad we were able to cross paths.”
Bella impacted Odelein-Akakpo in her dual coaching capacities. In addition to working with the Roughriders’ cheer team, she coaches the Electric Crew, which energizes the crowd at every Saskatchewan Rush lacrosse game in Saskatoon.
“She came down (to visit with the Electric Crew) with notes for me and the dancers,” Odelein-Akakpo said of a meeting that took place in 2023.
“She had choreographed detailed notes on which TikTok dances she wanted to teach the girls.
“I’ve never seen the girls so star-struck as when they met a nine-year-old girl.”
The head coach had a similar reaction.
“For such a young girl to make such an impact on so many people, it’s amazing,” Odelein-Akakpo marvelled.
“The joy that she left with her legacy will stay with people and they will continue to be inspired by her.”
So will many of the dance routines.
“Because of Bella, I will forever include more sass, more flips and more hair-whips,” Odelein-Akakpo said.
Bella’s personality and presence also left a permanent impression on Bane Jr.
“She did a little ballet show for us,” he said. “They put some music on and she was on the stage, taking it over and spinning around.
“We pretty much did everything. We were outside and able to go on the slide. We started out making some art. We played some video games and she beat me in Nintendo Switch Mario Kart.”
Memories of a 90-minute interaction with Bella are unbeatable.
“I’ll always remember that encounter,” Bane Jr. said. “That can carry me for the rest of my life.”
