A terminally ill teenager throws a poignant call to vote

(Ottawa) A teenager with terminal cancer has launched a poignant call from her hospital bed to vote in the October 21 election, in a video that went viral.

Updated October 16, 2019 at 15:47 Posted on October 16, 2019 at 3:34 pm

France Media Agency

The young woman, who learned a few days ago that she was suffering from an incurable disease, explained that she herself had voted by anticipation.

"This is my last chance to make a difference," said Maddison Yetman, 18, in this 39-second video that was seen more than 500,000 times on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. "Thanks for sharing it on your social networks and go vote".

Politically active since adolescence, the young woman dreamed of voting since she turned 18 last November, told his uncle Brent Williamson daily Winnipeg Free Press.

It did so for the first time in the Manitoba provincial election on September 10th. And she counted, according to her uncle, repeat the experience in the federal election of 21 October.

But her life rocked when she learned on October 6, going to the hospital for pain that she had an incurable cancer. In a few hours she could not walk.

She was finally able to vote last weekend during the advance poll held in the center where she is hospitalized.

In the video posted shortly after by her uncle on Twitter, the young woman appears, sitting in her hospital bed, showing successively a series of posters: "Although I am bedridden and I do not have any for a long time (to live), I still managed to vote for the first time in the federal elections, "she wrote on one of them.

The video ends with a loud voice call from voters: "If I could find the time to vote, you can do it too."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded on Twitter by saying "thank you" to Maddison Yetman "for being a source of inspiration for Canadians, and for reminding us of how valuable a vote is".

"I am speechless," said NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. "It's really powerful, Maddison: thank you for your courage in the face of adversity."