Look anywhere he went or was involved and you'll see that each connection he made was deeply caring and personal.
Markus was born in Mississauga on the first of March, 2003. The little brother to his sister Tiffany and big brother to his sister Teija, Markus grew up in a warm, supportive home with his siblings and his parents, Heili and David.
Being a family that is so actively involved in the Estonian community, Markus found the value of connecting with his roots early on, starting from his participation in lasteaed and hundud onward. He loved being a skaut and spending time outdoors at Kotkajärv. He was eager about going to Jõekääru and Seedrioru for camp, feeling immense regret that he wouldn't be able to attend his final year at Jõekääru with friends due to his cancer. The Hogg family remains grateful to all of these Estonian organizations for offering to make accommodations for Markus to attend.
A core focus of Markus' life was sports; something he excelled at, something that he put a lot of work into, and something that was truly part of his purpose in life. When it came to sports, his first love was football, which he started at the age of six with the Mississauga Warriors. Though he was a very gentle young man, once the ball was hiked, he was a fierce player, demolishing the offensive line with his strength and tackling the quarterback or ball carriers. But then he would reach out and help his opponents back up again and make sure they were okay.
In the positions of defensive end and defensive back, he won Most Valuable Player every year. Later on, he moved into the position of tight end, and finally was named the starting quarterback for his grade 10 football team, a position he didn't get the chance to fill with his cancer diagnosis.
Being so tall (six feet five inches at the time of his passing) and athletic lended itself to results in other sports. These include soccer (in the position of goalie), track and field (especially the javelin event, for which he reached the finals of many track meets and at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Championships), and baseball (as a first baseman and pitcher). Being a versatile athlete, he even found himself facing up against adult volleyball players recreationally and hitting a grand slam while substituting for a player on his father's softball team. A bright future as an elite athlete was certainly ahead of him. Though, for Markus, the present moment, the ability to keep playing, was what mattered most.
Hand-in-hand with his athletic and community pursuits, Markus was exceptionally charismatic, making friends with ease. To remain close, he would frequently travel hours on the bus to spend time with his beloved friends in downtown Toronto, especially his friends made in the Estonian community.
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Shocking news arrived on October 12th, 2018, when Markus was diagnosed with spinal osteosarcoma—a form of bone cancer that primarily affects young people—connected to painful leg cramps that he was experiencing. From day one, his fight against cancer was bolstered by what his family calls “friend therapy.” The number of visitors for him at McMaster Children's Hospital was so great that the family needed to set up a dedicated calendar for booking two hour time slots for everyone who wanted to hang out with him.
The people he loved were constantly by his side through chemotherapy; after he underwent major surgeries in 2019; when he was transferred to SickKids and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto. By Christmas of that year, he had beaten cancer. The result of the surgery to remove the cancer was extensive paralysis from the waist down. Amazingly, he eventually began to regain the ability to walk with the help of a cane.
Tragically, cancer was discovered again, a further two times. This was devastating for Markus. But still, he was determined to fight. Even when he was sad. Even when COVID-19 restrictions precluded the possibility of seeing friends. Even in the process of going through nearly 30 surgeries including several that exceeded 25 hours in length.
Despite this trauma, Markus made extraordinarily positive things from his battle with cancer. When “friend therapy” wasn't possible during the pandemic, he turned to social media. He started posting about his story and doing live videos on TikTok, speaking candidly about his experiences, sad and joyful alike, for the whole world to hear and see. Soon, his videos were going viral. With this visibility, he took the time to communicate one-one-one with his followers, including other people who were fighting cancer like him.
Markus always thought about others first, even when he had so much to worry about himself. And in turn, because they meant everything to him, his family, friends, and everyone who knew him became an infinite source of strength and hope. We can all look to his life as an example of a kind soul and of how one can change the world with everything in your heart.
A memorial service will be held for Markus on Monday October 17th at 1:00 PM at Streetsville Trinity Anglican Church – located at 69 Queen Street South in Mississauga. More info will be shared via the family's social media accounts.
In lieu of flowers, Markus' family asks all who can to donate in his name to the Estonian Scouts and Guides in Canada .
