Deagan Clavette, Hay River’s bubble child, has passed away at the age of two.
Deagan suffered from a form of mast cell disease for most of his life, a condition that made him severely allergic to most things around him.
Shortly after his birth in March 2014, his family relocated to Edmonton in order to access more specialized care for his unpredictable reactions. But his condition left doctors down south stumped as well.
Deagan’s mother, Jennifer Tregidgo-Clavette, told us it was even a struggle for him to be outside.
“Usually, mast cell patients present in their teens,” she said in January. “There aren’t many cases of infants and he was born with this disease. All the tests come back negative so we don’t know where else to turn.”
For that reason, Deagan spent most of his life at Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital where he required 24-hour care. His family even contemplated moving to the United States in search of answers.
On several occasions, residents of Yellowknife and Hay River rallied around the family to help them cover medical and travel costs. Proceeds from this year’s Memorial Hockey Challenge were also donated to the family.
Hay River Mayor Brad Mapes addressed Deagan’s passing on Sunday night.
“It is with great sadness that our community mourns the loss of Deagan Clavette,” he wrote on Facebook.
“We all came together as a community to help the family so they could focus on the needs of their little boy. I would like to ask that everyone comes together again to help this family through their great loss.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family as this little angel is now watching over us all.”
