'I hope they still feel her smile': Brandon park named after four-year-old girl who passed away in October.
A park in Brandon is being named after a little girl who passed in October.
The park along Lakeview Drive is being named Olivia the Brave Park after Olivia Baessler.
She was four years old when she passed away and was known as the first person in Canada to receive a new throat therapy that used magnets back in 2017.
Olivia was born prematurely with her esophagus connected to her lungs.
Olivia's mother, Crystal Baessler, said the park is close to their house in Brandon and was the spot they took Olivia to play.
"She just really loved it," said Baessler.
She said the name Olivia the Brave was a name that was started by a family friend as Olivia was in and out of the hospital a lot, but she always had a smile on her face.
"After her passing, it became even bigger. First of all, she was super brave, but it just came to everybody to call her Olivia the Brave."
Baessler said originally they just wanted to set up a swing to honour Olivia because there were a lot of kids in the neighbourhood who were friends with her.
But after talking with friends, Baessler said they eventually went to city hall to see if they could name the park after her.
"So we went to the city, to the board of the City of Brandon. The council had some meetings, and they agreed and thought it was a great idea."
Baessler said there isn't a sign for the park just yet, but a friend of hers has designed a logo for the park.
She said it is super emotional knowing the park is being named after her daughter, but she noted it makes everyone around them extremely happy knowing Olivia could be honoured.
"I hope that they just feel that great, incredibly brave soul that she had… I hope they still feel her smile, and still feel her love."
Baessler said they plan to have fundraising for Olivia every year in October with funds going to the park and adding more to it, adding the park is for all the kids and she wants them to enjoy it just like Olivia did.
"She seemed to always help people. She didn't have a mean bone in her body."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.