Kevin Lemée, 26 years old, a nephew considered as a son, as left us yesterday.
Here is his story:
My oldest brother (Michel) and Michèle’s sister (Lyette) are married together. Kevin is their only child and my only direct nephew. Kevin was always an intelligent little boy with a heart for people around him. Unfortunately, a difficult time during childhood and adolescence, where he was bullied at school, as directed him to make wrong choices, including drug and alcohol consumption. Because of that, he decided to come in France during the summer of 2017 to “start a new life”, hoping cut all links with his old friends and thinking that he would find solutions to his problems and to the bitterness caused by the injustice that had felt.
So, he came to see us in Ecouen, France, on august 4th 2018. At that point he had succeeded to free himself from drug consumption but was still strongly addicted to alcohol. At that point he tried “adventure” trips toward Belgium and southern France but came back to our house in Ecouen at the end of august with more failures in his luggage and even more despair.
At that point started a precious time with him that we still remember with so much surprise and joy. We were finding the little Kevin that we had lost and that we loved so much. I remember the long discussions with him where I was surprised to hear that he was not able to start dreaming about the future, because of the dept of his wounds and the strong despair. Morning, afternoon, night… every time was an opportunity to talk, laugh, cry and trying to understand the meaning of his “worthless” life (as he was seeing and expressing it). Meaning that Kevin was too deeply longing to find, having found in this world only injustice and disappointment.
In early September he was able, by himself, to stop completely all alcohol consumption and control that addiction. He succeeded with this sobriety for the rest of his short life. This young man, who was discouraged of his past and of the bad choices and bad example that he had shown, was now becoming an example for other, to the point that others were following him in sobriety. During weeks that followed, we came to talk about faith and the narrow path through Jesus-Christ alone. His interest and desire were so strong to find the answer. I knew at that point that if I was pushing him toward a decision to accept Jesus as savior, he would have taken that decision to please me and Michèle, due to his constant desire to please. He would not have be able to was so strong and his desire. He would not have wanted to disappoint his uncle and aunt, that he had just found again. So, I told him that this decision had to be between him and God, and only when he was ready. He left us in France on October 24th 2017 with new hopes to “start a new life” but with a new direction. We told him that we were not quite sure of the reason of our coming in France, but that the fact that we found back that relation with him here in France, was a sufficient reason. What a joy we had during these two and a half months with him. And now, I dare not thing of the consequence and possibility of not reaching to him at that time, for all kind of “good reasons”!
When we came back to Canada, he came to see us, Michele and I, to announce that he was now a child of God and had eternal life. He had personally taken a decision to accept salvation in Jesus and he was so happy to tell us about his assurance of eternal life. What a joy it was for us and him.
In may however, he told us that he had some rare form of bone cancer. I was afraid that this test would be too much for him to bear, but he told me in a personal note one day, that he had faith in God for his future and that his faith was not shaken by the circumstance!
Yesterday morning, he had to go to the hospital because he was too week. They immediately did surgery on him but the doctors realized, during surgery, that bacteria were destroying his body, and they were not able to stop it. He even made a cardiac arrest on the operation table. After that he was placed in induced coma while his body was still being destroyed by the bacteria. There was no more that medicine could do, and while everyone was gone, I was able to stay with him during his last moments at the hospital. Even if there was no sign of wakening or conscience when the stopped the coma inducing medication, I knew that I could rejoice with him of he meeting with his Savior. I left the hospital in peace around 1 am and you can see, below this text, a picture of that hospital, the last place where Kevin stayed on earth and where the lighten cross was representing very well the hope and reason of his eternal life.
When Kevin returned from France, those who were asking him about the reason of the changes that they were seeing in him, he was answering: “Kevin? He as died in France! It is now a new Kevin.”
We found in France a Kevin that was, scared, hurt, disappointed of himself and full of bitterness toward the injustice of this world. We found again Kevin back to Québec, full of assurance, hope in the perfect plan of God for his life, with a new found eternal life and justice. Are we sad that Kevin is leaving us at 26 years old? Not sad for him, but for us that will have to wait some time on this earth before seeing him again. But we are especially sad for those that were close to him, are losing him and do not understand the hope that he had. For these we are deeply sad and ask for your prayers.
