'SHE WAS JUST GETTING STARTED'

CHRISTIE LEJA, 30, IS REMEMBERED BY FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND HER PEERS AT MUSKOKAREGION.COM

Christie Leja's brother Ben said the camera took her places. Christie just finished her co-op placement at Muskokaregion.com, marking her completion of the Loyalist College photojournalism program. On May 2, her first front page photo for the Gravenhurst Banner newspaper was published online.

But that night, Christie suffered a pulmonary embolism, and died suddenly at age 30.

Caitlin Untinen met Christie in Grade 1. They attended the same elementary school, middle school and the Etobicoke School of the Arts, where they specialized in musical theatre.

Christie worked at the Lakeshore Community Childcare Centre for several years with her mother before going into photojournalism.

"The program itself pushed her to come out of her shell in a way that she hadn't been able to do before," said Caitlin. "She had so much more to give and do and that's the most heartbreaking part — is that she was just getting started.""She was absolutely unstoppable as long as she had the camera in her hand."Laura Viselli met Christie on a play date arranged by their mothers.

"She always plunged headfirst into things like the world be damned, like nothing was going to stop her from doing what she wanted to do," said Laura.

In fall 2018, they went to British Columbia and visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park."When I picture her in heaven, that's where I picture her to be because she loved it so much there."Paige White said she was immediately drawn to Christie when she started the photojournalism program.

"She's the kind of person that could change the energy in the room ... just so incredibly kind and non-judgmental and able to just meet people where they're at," said Paige."She was insatiably curious and just kind with her time, and that came through in her storytelling."Christie's mother Lisa, father George, brother Ben and friend Nikky Richmond shared stories that brought on laughter and tears.

"I am just so blown away by the outpouring of love and the devastation felt by everybody," said Lisa.

So many people have spoken about Christie's light, she said.

"There will never be anybody else who will ever compare to her," said Nikky."When people say that someone lights up a room, she lit up the whole F-----world.""None of this is OK — she's the first to say that she's sorry that she's not here, but we're all going to be OK because we have to be," said Ben. "It's all our jobs to carry her torch forward."

Christie's family has requested memorial donations be sent to the Tweed and Area Heritage Centre, where she worked last summer.

Our full feature story on Christie can be read at muskokaregion.com.