ANDREW CARL HENDERSON

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ANDREW CARL HENDERSON On Wednesday, October 26, 2016, this amazing human being and consummate artist-performed his final act. He was surrounded and supported with love, admiration and energy by his family, dear friends, and Maggie, his dog. He will be greatly missed by all that knew him. Left to honour his memory are his parents, Kim and Donna Henderson; sisters Carling (Anthony and Axel), and Kayla (Jonallan and Annalise, Daniel, and Brynn); grandparents Herdis Lindblom; Ben and Irene Schmid; auntie Lois Lindblom; auntie Lori and uncle Ed Gawiak, cousins Nicole (Jeff and Delia) and Matthew; and many close friends that were like family. Andrew's journey began in Selkirk, Manitoba on September 26, 1988. Growing up in Clandeboye, he attended school in Selkirk where many of his lifelong friendships, love of language, theatre and the arts bloomed. His high school experience was capped with a French Immersion Diploma in 2006. His flair for theatre and the arts inspired him to attend York University in Toronto, where he completed his Diploma of Fine Arts with Honours in 2011. While living in Toronto, Andrew adopted the motto "Work Hard, Play Hard". Embracing the spirit of openness and authenticity, Andrew came into his own. His affinity for all things gold and beautiful earned him the name "Glamdrew"- and his glamourous, fabulous side finally got to come out and play! He had found a place where he could be the star of the show, and - of course -he had many adoring friends who loved to play the role the audience. He held many jobs where he could share his love of people and zest for life. He worked as a barista at his local coffee shop, serving up his bright smile, witty comments and kind words along with a hot cup of coffee. He stage-managed plays, concerts and fashion shows. At one point, he was even hired as a 'Party Enhancer'-paid to bring the party! During the summers, he came home to Manitoba and worked as a blacksmith at Lower Fort Garry, a job that suited his social butterfly style and love for history perfectly. While at LFG, Andrew was known for his sunny smile, sharp sense of humour, impeccably styled costumes and his incredible ability to keep white pants clean while blacksmithing. Andrew also had an ear for languages and passion for travel. His travel bug took him to Denmark, France, Spain, Austria, Australia, and Arizona. He even spent a summer in Argentina, where he facilitated a community art project. In July 2014, Andrew was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. True to his nature, the diagnosis didn't keep him down for long! He confronted it and saw opportunity. He stopped holding himself back. He decided that every day was a day for glitter and champagne. He became more open about who he was, and what was important to him. Andrew had always believed in equality, and that all people are deserving of compassion and respect. But his diagnosis made him realize he needed to be more vocal and more visible, to take a stand against discrimination of all kinds - whether it was because of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. His activism drew words of both praise and hatred. With support from his family and in spite of direct threats of violence, Andrew attended Steinbach's first PRIDE parade-dressed in his finest, with signs and glitter, to stand in solidarity with Steinbach's LGBT community. His presence was notable, and the energy palpable. This would be just one of the many shining moments to come in his last months. When Andrew was told that his prognosis was terminal, his purpose shifted to educating us all to live our best lives. He made it his mission to help people build new relationships with illness, death and grief. He was interviewed by local and national media about his prognosis, the realities of living with a terminal illness, and his decision to celebrate his death and remaining life in style. The coup de grace was his "living funeral" performance piece: Taking it to the Grave. The story of Andrew's journey, his mission, and final performance was picked up by media outlets around the world. His words evoked powerful emotions and inspired life-changing moments in many. Just a few short days after his performance, Andrew's journey ended. He died as he lived: with purpose and passion, incredible courage, grace, and dignity-surrounded by laughter and love. But Andrew's story is not over. His greatest hope was that his journey would inspire people to accept illness and death as an opportunity to make life even richer. To realize that love is love. To get over it and get on with it! The family extends sincere thanks and gratitude to the doctors, nurses and medical aide assistants of CancerCare Manitoba, and the Selkirk General Hospital Emergency Department, for their professional and compassionate care. Andrew's service will be at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 in the Gilbart Funeral Chapel, 309 Eveline Street in Selkirk, Manitoba. If Andrew has touched your life in some way and you are a better human for it, consider yourself an Honorary Pallbearer. In lieu of flowers, on Andrew's behalf, the family encourages you to embrace your true self with boldness and without hesitation, to share yourself, your burdens and your joys with others, to celebrate love, life and all it's wonderful, messy, amazing moments. If not, donate blood - someone needs it. Gilbart Funeral Home, Selkirk in care of arrangements. www.gilbartfuneralhome.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 29, 2016