Young, beautiful, loving, and free‑spirited — Stacey was the kind of soul who lit up every room with her smile and laughter. She was the person who would do anything for the people she loved and could get along with just about anyone. That was my cousin.
I never imagined adulthood without her. We were only a year apart, and I always assumed she would simply be there. I’m so grateful we grew so close after high school — practically sisters — and people often assumed we were. I never minded that, because she was truly beautiful inside and out. She was an incredible friend.
But the most profound gift of all was your heart. It went to a young girl who had been waiting for a transplant.
The day I got the call, twelve years ago, changed my life forever. There still isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think of her. I know my kids would have absolutely adored her, and she would have loved them just as fiercely.
We were soul sisters. We understood each other and connected in a way I’ve never experienced with anyone else. We had drifted apart because of bad decisions I was making at the time, and I will never stop wishing I could go back and change that. I often find myself wanting to go back to that very night — to call her, to stop her from leaving, to listen to the gut feeling that something wasn’t right. Never did I imagine that feeling meant losing my sister.
She always had a feeling that she was going to die young. And still, she lived with a joy that was contagious. You could have fun with her anywhere, doing anything — and if you didn’t, something was off.
Stacey, thank you for being an amazing cousin, sister, and friend. Thank you for teaching me how short life is — a lesson I carry with me every day as I try to be the best mother I can and cherish what I have.
You saved so many lives. All of your organs and tissue were donated — helping young people, middle‑aged people, and older adults. Your tissue donations supported medical research that will continue saving lives for years to come.
But the most profound gift of all was your heart. It went to a young girl who had been waiting for a transplant - someone who was never able to experience so many of the simple joys that most young people take for granted. Because of you, she was given the chance to live, to grow, and to experience moments she had been denied. Your heart gave her a future. I know, without a single doubt, that this is exactly what you wanted. At just 24, some might wonder how anyone could be so certain — but we knew you. You had a heart of gold and thought of others constantly.
God had other plans for you, and for the people you saved. I can never live up to the legacy you left behind, but I am endlessly proud and forever grateful that God allowed you to be such a huge part of my childhood, my teenage years, and my early twenties.
I love you, Stac. Keep shining. Keep playing your music in the sky. Keep dancing. Until we cross paths again, I will carry you with me and do my best to look at life the way you always did. Always and forever.
Love,
Your cousin — IT,
Shan
