Heavenbound

Teen hero mourned after whitewater tragedy

SQUAMISH, B.C. - A B.C. community is grieving after a teenage girl died while helping to rescue two younger girls in a whitewater rafting accident.

If there is a heaven, and I'm inclined to think there is, then this girl is enjoying paradise right now.

When the raft carrying Roberge and nine others hit Devil's Elbow – a treacherous section of the river known for its rapids – it hit a rock and flipped.

Squamish RCMP Cpl. Dave Ritchie said Roberge scrambled to grab two young girls, helping them stay afloat until rescue crews arrived on the scene.

(Emphasis mine, and yes, you read that right)

She risked, and ultimately gave, her own life to save two others. There is no act more noble than this.

"When they came back, she was gone."
Roberge was later pulled from the water and pronounced dead at the scene.

It is my solemn prayer that I might live and die with such honor.

Friends and family said Roberge – who would have graduated in 10 days, on her 18th birthday – always gave her time and effort to help others.

That's just the kind of person she was. Put the needs of others above herself. Imagine that, there are still people like that in this world. Thank God.

At Howe Sound Secondary, where Alison was a Grade 12 student, the flags were lowered to fly at half-mast on Monday.

There is no act we could perform that would fully honor this young woman. But I steadfastly resolve to live my life with courage, integrity, and honor. Qualities most evident in Alison Roberge.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (NASB)

Update 5:32pm - Here's more on Alison from a girl who met her at a guiding camp.