Aaron Jingyi Chen was born in Toronto, Ontario, on February 5, 2010. After a battle against Leukaemia for three years, eight months, and fifteen days, he passed away peacefully on January 12, 2023, leaving behind his grandparents, parents, older brother, younger sister, and numerous relatives and friends. Aaron was remembered as a gentle, sensitive, forgiving child, who loved school, liked playing chess, and was talented in piano and badminton. Above all, he was remembered as a brave child with extraordinary resilience. After he was diagnosed with Leukaemia, he refused to be defeated but chose to fully embrace life. Not only did he continue to do well academically, but he also tried something new in school such as running for the Student Council at his elementary school. As he was undergoing chemo treatment, he discovered his lifelong passions – reading and chess. He read about 500 books, often stationing himself in the library for hours. He also began to play chess (after watching The Queen’s Gambit), and soon stood out as a prodigious chess player, winning prizes in local tournaments even without much formal coaching. In September 2022, he mapped out his plan for the future in one of his Grade 7 projects, which was to attend the University of Toronto and continue playing in many chess tournaments while preparing to become a writer. His dream was to earn a living with tournament prizes and royalties from his books. He hoped to live near his parents so he could take care of them and his little sister, knowing that his brother would be in a faraway place pursuing his dream. But when he was hospitalized again on November 26, 2022, he soon realized that his dream would probably be forever unfulfilled. Even so, he remained calm and stoic. He never shed tears in front of others (except for his mother). Instead, he was often the one who encouraged others to not worry. He always remembered to say “thank you” to his nurses and doctors. When undergoing procedures, he never complained about the pains he was going through.

In his final days, instead of feeling terrified or dwelling on his pain and the unfair circumstances, he repeatedly expressed his gratitude towards his family and all his friends, teachers, and all the people who had supported him. A key message for them is: to “stay strong and carry on after this” For that, he also called upon his little sister to make sure that his parents and brother “would not go down the wrong path” after he left. Aaron’s life was short but full. He is still fully alive, in heaven, and in the heart of everyone who has been touched by him. To fulfill his wish that we help others for him and that he would not be forgotten by the world, we have decided to create an Aaron Chen Memorial Award at the University of Toronto through a permanent endowment thanks to the support of many friends. We have also launched the Aaron Chen Memorial Foundation to celebrate Aaron’s life, to create a space of mourning and sharing, to support broader charitable initiatives such as student awards and scholarships, chess tournaments in local schools, Aaron’s corners in local libraries, etc. We are profoundly touched by the outpouring of support for these initiatives from many relatives, friends, and colleagues as well as other generous donors. As these initiatives come to benefit more and more young people, we hope to see Aaron’s legacy playing an ever larger role in the world.