Memorial held for girl who died of cancer at 19

Carley Allison sang the national anthem at a Toronto Maple Leafs game last November, showing her determination to keep singing in the face of a fateful diagnosis.

A memorial was held Saturday night in Brampton for a 19-year-old woman who died of cancer.

Friends, family and strangers attended a tribute for Carley Allison, who lost her battle with cancer Tuesday.

Allison kept on singing despite surgery that left her with a hole in her throat and inspired countless strangers.

The memorial was different from the private funeral the family held earlier today – family wanted it to be a celebration.

“We have all these things that represent her all around and it really is a celebration of life,” Dan Allison, Carely’s cousin, told CTV’s Scott Lightfoot ahead of the memorial.

“We’re here to celebrate all the things that make her special,” he added.

Carley Allison was in Grade 12 at Bayview Glen. She was dress-shopping for her high school prom and applying to university music programs when her cancer was discovered.

Allison had an operation to remove a tumour that required a tracheotomy, a procedure that allowed her to breathe through a hole in her neck.

She told CTV Toronto at the time that it could affect her singing, and it did --- but not for long.

Allison learned to sing again and posted performance of One Direction’s “More Than This” to her YouTube channel.

The cover was viewed by tens of thousands of people, including singer Selena Gomez who Tweeted words of encouragement: “Love you! And praying for you. Keep singing.”

Allison touched even more people last November when sang the national anthem at a Toronto Maple Leafs game, eliciting cheers and a standing ovation. At the game, the announcer shared the news of her double-lung cancer.

The Toronto Maple Leafs also paid tribute to Allison on Tuesday, holding a moment of silence for her before the start of the game.