Isabella S. WASHINGTON

With a broken heart, I announce the death of my beloved daughter Bella. For the last four years, Bella fought courageously against the horrific ups and downs of bipolar affective disorder and other mental health problems. When the pain became too much, Bella took her own life.

Bella was born in Victoria and grew up in Calgary and Saskatoon. No stranger to health-related adversity, she underwent three surgeries by age three, including open heart surgery. Bella graduated from Walter Murray Collegiate in 2019. During and after high school, Bella worked at the Saskatoon Public Library, and later, the Salvation Army thrift store and Value Village in Victoria. Bella was soft-spoken, introspective and artistic, and expressed herself best through drawing, painting, writing, music, ballet and jazz. Bella also possessed a strong sense of justice, and deplored any form of mean-spiritedness or prejudice, especially racism and homo/transphobia. It was with pride that I accompanied her to many rallies and protests over the years, most recently, the BLM rally in June.

Bella's short life was filled with love, laughter, and joy. She enjoyed an active childhood that including camping, fishing, time spent at the lake, Girl Guides, and trips to Florida, California and Guatemala. In the last year or so Bella was truly embracing life, while learning to live with mental illness. She gleefully jumped out of an airplane for her 18th birthday, brought in 2020 with a Polar Bear Swim, traveled through Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest with her partner, and moved into her first apartment. Bella loved the Island, and in the last year, spent lots of time at the beach, and hiking in and around Victoria. Bella had a vision for the future that included working as an Early Childhood Educator, studying art, more tattoos, travel, and being a mom. I am so proud of the truly kind person she was, and how valiantly she fought. She was an old soul, and in many ways, my greatest teacher. Bella was loved and will forever be remembered by me, her mom Lesley; Auntie and Uncle Debra and Don McArthur; Uncle Dean and Auntie Darla Washington; partner Gabe Novakoski and family; cousins Krystle, Mitch, Ryan, Justin and Matthew; dearest friends Karissa and Jurnee; and her family in Guatemala. Bella was predeceased by her grandma Yvonnne who passed away in March 2019. A Celebration of Life for family and close friends will be held at a later date. Should you wish, a donation in Isabella's name can be made to Citizens' Counseling or any organization working to address the mental health crisis in our country.