We lost our boy today. No parents have ever been more proud of a son and Ethan’s courage, especially near the end, was truly humbling. He gave all he had to give, physically and emotionally, in order to fight this battle with leukemia but unfairly the odds were stacked against him.
Ethan was genuinly kind and incredibly capable and so together today we have all collectively lost someone very special.
Rest in peace son.
Ethan's Cancer Fight 
Mike and Muriel,
I am so sad and wanted you to know that Leanne and I are thinking about you and your family. I know how much joy, love, and happiness your boys have always brought you. You have suffered the greatest loss and pain that a parent can suffer. And there is no doubt Ethan was a remarkable person who touched many people’s lives. I hope you find some comfort in the great memories you will always have of him because no one can ever take those away.
Love,
Iain and Leanne
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Dear Michael, Muriel, Spencer and Colin,
I was Ethan’s classmate at UTS, and I wanted to express my sincere condolences for your heartbreaking loss. Ethan was a lively, intelligent individual who brought life to the UTS community. He will be missed deeply by our class.
You are all in my thoughts.
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Dear Mike, Muriel, Colin and Spencer,
I am deeply sorry for your loss. I have some hilarious and kind memories of Ethan from my time at UTS, and while it’s hard to reconcile those memories with the reality of his passing, my thoughts and love are with you and with him.
All the best from this day forward,
Ilya
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Dear Mike, Muriel, Colin and Spencer,
I have no words to understand your loss, but I wanted to say how great Ethan was as a friend, classmate and person. We were friends through elementary school and swimming and he always brought joy and happiness to those around him. He was a bright, intelligent and compassionate friend and will always be in our thoughts and hearts. Andrew
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Dear Mike, Muriel, Colin and Spencer,
I have no words. Ethan was bright, caring, and compassionate. We were friends through swimming. I remember a carpool ride during which Mike explained the concept of moral hazard to two 12 year olds (Ethan and me). Ethan was brilliant. He was incredibly funny but most of all Ethan was kind. You all should be so proud of your son and the life he led. My family and I will carry his memory in our thoughts and in our hearts.
Alek, David, Ron and Maggie Riley
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Dear Mike, Muriel, Spencer, and Colin
There are not words that can really express how sorry I am for your loss. I have countless memories of just hanging out with Ethan during UTS. He really was a fantastic guy, and I wish I had seen more of him since we graduated.
I keep thinking of one time in particular: we were coming back from S5 Gradetrip and most of the bus was sleeping, save for Ethan and I. We were both exhausted – really too exhausted to even talk. Ethan could tell I was incredibly bored , and gave me the book he was reading (419) and told me to read it to kill the time. It was so incredibly kind of him to do that, and really is indicative of the kind of person he was.
I’ll miss you, E.
Ben
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I am so very sorry and sad and humbled that the world has lost this precious young man. Please know that he is in my thoughts and in the thoughts of my family. With love, Sandeep (Ms. Sanghera)
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To Muriel, Mike , Colin & Spencer,
We are so saddened by the passing of Ethan. He put up such an incredibly brave fight with an amazing , loving and supportive family that never gave up hope.
May you all find strength in each other and know that you and Ethan are in our prayers.
The Hillar Family
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Dear Michael, Muriel, Spencer, and Colin,
Ethan and I were classmates at UTS; I was absolutely heartbroken to hear of his passing. Ethan was always a phenomenal presence in our community. He was an inspiring peer on the swim team and in the classroom, and I’ll never forget his confidence, his deep obsession with his passions and idols, and most of all his quick wit and lightheartedness.
My warmest memory of Ethan is bumping into him in the middle of the night on our final grade trip together, in 2014. It was pouring rain, the park rangers had seized all of our alcohol (for the second time), and spirits were down. Ethan was smoking a Cuban cigar and offered to share it with me. I told him, I don’t smoke, and thanked him. He told me to at least give it a try, live a little and make the most of the situation. I caved and tried my first ever Cuban with Ethan, cracking jokes and making the most of a bad night.
Although we lost touch after graduation, I was happy — and once again inspired — to see in this blog that Ethan carried that optimism on in his fight against leukemia, right to the very end. My memories of Ethan, and my sympathy for your family’s immense loss are in my thoughts.
Rest in peace, Ethan.
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Dear Wissell Family,
Ethan and I were friends at Rice. We bonded over our common love of sports and medicine (best Dolphins fan I have ever met). Our schedules weren’t often compatible, but whenever we had the chance to meet up, he lit up my day. He was incredibly genuine and kind-hearted and I am completely stunned by the news. I offer my most sincere condolences, may he rest in peace.
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Dear Wissell Family,
I was in Ethan’s graduating class at UTS. I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. My heart and prayers are with you. Rest in Peace, Ethan.
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Dear Wissell Family,
I am deeply sorry for your loss. I was fortunate enough to play with Ethan on the UTS baseball team for two years. He was a great teammate and I’m thankful to have been able to spend that time with him. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Rest in peace, Ethan.
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To the Wissell family:
I am so, so sorry for your loss. I didn’t know Ethan extremely well during our years at UTS, but he was always very kind and caring to everyone he interacted with. My deepest condolences and thoughts go out to your family.
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Wissell Family,
My condolences go out to you, Michael, Muriel, Spencer and Colin.
No one should ever have to go through what your family went through.
Ethan was a amazing individual and the memories I shared with him will always be remembered.
Between backyard bbqs to some great family vacations, I was lucky to get chance to know him.
May peace and comfort find you and your family in this difficult time
Regards
Brady
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Dear Mike, Muriel, Colin, and Spencer,
I am so terribly sorry for your loss. I was a classmate of Ethan’s at UTS. I never knew him well, but it was a horrible shock to hear of his passing. As you can see from these comments, we are all deeply affected by his loss. It is very humbling and very eye-opening to read through this blog and see how courageous and a resilient person Ethan was.
I hope you know that Ethan had a second family in the Class of 2014, that he was well loved by so many, and that we are all keeping you in our thoughts.
xoxo
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I am the mother of one of Ethan’s classmates at UTS. I was following Ethan’s blog after my son shared it with me. I was captivated by it. Ethan wrote with both warmth and eloquence. His brilliance and his spirit shone through each post. I thought here was the making of a great book.
As he did at UTS and clearly all over the rest of the world, Ethan captured the hearts of all he touched. Simply put, he was adored and respected by all. So many people said he inspired them. Not many 20 year olds could boast of that. But of course Ethan never would have boasted as he was both sensitive and humble.
Over the past couple of days, I have seen firsthand how utterly devastating Ethan’s death has been to all of this friends from UTS. He has left a huge, gaping hole in this world and his is profoundly mourned by so many, many people, But, of course, there is no way to measure your loss. It is simply beyond measure. I hope that in some way, the knowledge of how deeply loved your Ethan was will you provide you with some comfort.
May his memory be a blessing. Our hearts are with you.
Tammy Barrett
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I am so sorry to hear about the passing of Ethan. I remember he always had the biggest smile on the pool deck. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
May you rest in peace Ethan
Ashley Bradbury-Correia
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Our deepest condolences to the Wissell family…Mike, Muriel, Spencer and Colin.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Craig & Anna Hurl
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To the Wissell family
I am so sorry for your lose. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Debbie
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