Kristen was a beautiful, spirited girl with such potential. Since she was born she entertained us, made us laugh, and drove us to distraction with her fiercely independent ways. She was perfectly lovely with her deep blue eyes and a winsome smile. I was always in awe of the beauty she did not seem to see in herself. She had a wicked sense of humor and mischievous as she was, loved to shock and surprise people just to see their reaction. She could always make me laugh.

Having survived leukemia in her teens, she impressed us to no end with her resilience and her courage. We did not know we had her on borrowed time. As she did so often, she defied the odds when told she may not have children. Instead she had two beautiful boys two years apart. With her sudden loss from postpartum cardiomyopathy, we are left stunned and with a hole in our lives and hearts that will never heal. There will never be another like Kristen. She will be forever missed by many. We can only be grateful to have had her for what brief time we did, and honor her by doing right by her children, and doing our best to turn her story into positive action. I love you, my beautiful brave girl. You are forever with me and I look forward to seeing you again.