Simon Lono, longtime volunteer and health advocate, has died
Community volunteer, health-care advocate and longtime Liberal supporter Simon Lono has died at the age of 56.
Lono, who also volunteered for years with the Lantern Festival, was a spokesperson with the Canadian Association for Rare Disorders.
He died on Friday.
"It's gonna be a sad loss," said George Murphy, friends with Lono since high school.
"Simon is a great man well worth remembering."
In 2013, Lono was diagnosed with primary myelofibrosis, a disease in which abnormal blood cells and fibres build up inside the bone marrow, compromising the body's ability to produce blood cells.
Lono used his experience and struggle seeking treatment as a catalyst in his advocacy for other patients with rare conditions.
In addition to advocacy work, Lono was a longtime Liberal. He ran for the party nomination in St. John's East-Quidi Vidi in 2015, and worked for MP Nick Whalen.
Lono also ran for St. John's city council a number of times.
In addition, Lono founded the Newfoundland and Labrador Speech and Debate Union.
"He just had his fingers everywhere, and it was just great to see," Murphy said.
"I think that's what we're all meant to do in life, and Simon did it very, very well."
Murphy said Lono was always participating in public discussion on a variety of issues, through letters in the Telegram or on CBC radio interviews, to name a few platforms.
"He was an eager participant, is probably the best way I can describe him," Murphy said with a laugh. "So much so that he took pleasure in it. But he also took pleasure in the little things."
There aren't many people who are as heavily invested as Lono was in bettering their communities, Murphy said.
"Just sitting back and watching him over the years still be involved, I think that's a lesson for everybody, that we should all be involved like that," Murphy said.
"And if we're all involved like that, we'll make this place a little bit of a better place."
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