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Nina. Nina, Nina… My cousin. All my life I looked up to you, but never once did I ever get to express that to you… And oh god, how I’m so sorry. I regret never expressing to you your importance to me, despite that until four years ago, you were right in my backyard, and even when you became a half a world away, I still kept a distance. I always wanted to be close to you, have a relationship that was something cool and special…but I always kept that shy space between us… Please forgive me. You’re no longer here, but please, please, forgive me, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.
I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud and inspired by everything you’ve done. I look at you in awe, silently wondering how you’ve done all you have. You never gave up. You always accomplished everything you’ve wanted to do. Nothing slowed you down, nothing at all.
Nina, why’d you go? Why’d you leave? You were my personal inspiration. You were the one that I remembered when things got tough, or when there were times I needed some level of boosting. You were the one I’d smile about when I’d see some special on Discovery about traveling, extreme hiking, or climbing. You were the one that made me feel special, knowing that I had a cousin who traveled the world and did things most people only do in their dreams. You were important to me, Nina… You always were, and always will be.
People, when you hear someone tell you that you “can accomplish anything you set your mind to,” please, oh please, grasp it, and grasp it hard, because it’s true…it’s so true. My cousin is proof of it.
On Sunday, my cousin, Nina, was killed in a freak avalanche accident in New Zealand while she was ice-climbing…She’s gone, but she left this earth doing something she loved. Everyday she lived her life to the fullest; everyday she lived with no regrets.
She was a severe diabetic, but never once in her life did she let that slow her down. Never once did she let something get in her way of completing a task she wanted to do. She’s traveled the world; she’s dove in the clearest oceans; climbed in some of the most beautiful, biggest, and extreme places. She was granted a scholarship to John Hopkins University for soccer, and she was granted another scholarship to Duke University for piano. In her job she strived to make eco-friendly towns and cities, and got up and moved to the corner of the world, New Zealand, to do so.
Nina…. you were a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, an aunt, a friend…but most of all you were an inspiration to everyone you knew and loved. I will never, ever, forget you.
I love you, Nina… I always will.
 azumi · Sun Mar 25, 2007 @ 07:52am · 2 Comments |
