In Loving Memory of Maverick Brown – Support for the Family

We are heartbroken to share that my brother, Joel Brown, and his family experienced an unimaginable tragedy on Friday night with the loss of their sweet 3-year-old son, Maverick. As you can imagine, this is something no parent can ever prepare for, and the entire family is devastated.

This GoFundMe has been set up to support Joel and his family during this incredibly difficult time. The funds will go directly to them to help cover the unexpected costs of funeral and burial arrangements, with a goal of giving him the best, and to ease the financial burden of taking time off work to grieve and begin healing.

With Joel’s permission (and with the support of someone else who lives on the street), we are sharing a few details about what happened. Maverick was playing soccer in the backyard with his older brother Mason and many other kids from the community, as well as their parents and multiple adults. This is a quiet community where the backyard area stretches across the community's townhome backyards, leading out to a single-lane driveway with designated unit spots on one side and visitor parking on the opposite side. This area is a familiar, safe space where children play daily, often with adults standing next to hockey nets to move for accommodating parking as kids play hockey.

The community is warm and welcoming, with neighbours greeting each other in a friendly manner. Several homes in the community offer after-school childcare, and it is home to many IWK nurses and medical staff. The area is frequently filled with the sounds of kids playing, laughter, bike bells, kids on rollerblades racing past you, and slap shots in hockey nets, followed by parental cheers of "Get it!" and "Woos" after every goals. It was a typical after-school hour on this beautiful, sunny Friday, which tragically took a turn that nobody can fathom. Joel had called the boys in for bedtime, but they asked for a few more minutes since they had just made new friends. Joel stepped inside briefly to finish cleaning up from supper. In those few minutes, the soccer ball was kicked into the parking area nearby, and a large truck with a trailer happened to be passing by. What happened next was a tragic and devastating accident that is still hard to comprehend.

This traumatic event has had a world-shattering impact on the community - an incredibly connected and supportive one, who were/are privileged to provide Maverick immediate medical assistance and continue to offer their utmost support to the family and love ones. This has had a tremendous impact on the community and the lives of so many involved.

Because this has become public knowledge and media coverage has sparked comments online, we kindly ask for respect and compassion. This is a grieving family who is already carrying more than anyone should. Blame and hurtful speculation do nothing to help and only deepen the pain they are already experiencing.

Maverick was full of life, curiosity, and love. His loss is immeasurable. If you are able to support this family through a donation or by sharing this fundraiser, we are deeply grateful.

Thank you for your kindness during this time.