}
Chrissie at MGM studios, in Disney during August of 2000,
Chrissie's trip of a lifetime.
In Loving Memory of
Chrissie Carrigan
November 14, 1986 - December 6, 2001
WE DO NOT NEED A SPECIAL DAY
We do not need a special day
To bring you to our minds.
The days we do not think of you
Are very hard to find.
Each morning when we awake,
We know that you are gone.
And no one knows the heart ache
As we try to carry on.
Our hearts still ache with sadness
And secret tears still flow.
What it meant to lose you
No one will ever know.
Our thoughts are always with you,
Your place no one can fill.
In life we loved you dearly;
In death we love you still.
There will always be a heartache,
And often a silent tear.
But always a precious memory
Of the days when you were here.
If tears could make a staircase,
And heartaches make a lane,
We'd walk the path to heaven
And bring you home again.
We hold you close within our hearts;
And there you will remain,
To walk with us throughout our lives
Until we meet again.
Our family chain is broken now,
And nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us one by one,
The chain will link again.
~ Written by Connie Dyer, BP/USA, Springfield, IL
Angel Gifts 2005
Christian Victoria (Chrissie)
Chrissie at age 2 years and 9 months old. Doesn't she look like a little angel?
Daddy loves his little girl!
Chrissie came into our world an Angel. Born to Earth on November 14, 1986 at 28 weeks. Chrissie tried for October 21, 1986, but doctors managed to stop her. For if that date was to be the case, we may not have managed to have kept her on Earth with us as long as we did - 15 years, 22 days.
Chrissie was a very special Angel. It was as if she had a Special Mission to carry out. Chrissie lived her whole life with a sense of urgency - living each day to the fullest. Chrissie was a social butterfly, and made friends like bees make honey. Her friendships spanned across the globe.
Chrissie was born on November 14, 1986, weighing 2.5 lbs., and measuring 12.5 inches long. Chrissie spent 3 months, 2 days in the hospital, and the first 2 months, 2 days in the isolate. We finally got to hold her after 2 weeks. Chrissie spent the first year and a half on oxygen, and the first year and ten months on an apnea monitor. Several times, we had the monitor go off in the night. Each time, we were given our Angel back.
By any stretch of the imagination, Chrissie’s life was not easy. She was born with BPD (Bronchial Pulmonary Dysplasia) which eventually became Asthma. Unable to walk or talk for the first several months, Chrissie used sign language as a means of nonverbal communication. She received home schooling from wonderful and talented teachers and therapists of the Ivymount School. These skilled and caring people helped her develop, while keeping me sane.
By the age of three, Chrissie was caught up physically and developmentally. When Chrissie was in the second grade, she developed auditory processing dysfunction. Chrissie had difficulty understanding the words spoken to her. With a personal fm system, she could understand and she started to excel in school. Chrissie suffered from acute mold allergies and missed so much school in the fifth grade that she had to be home-schooled that year. Chrissie went back to school in the sixth grade. On top of the regular stress of handling a full load, Chrissie was exposed to endless teasing, and had to make new friends since the school district had shifted boundaries, forcing her to attend a different school.
This is Chrissie outside of our house for a promotion in 8th grade.
Chrissie made her mark in middle school. Despite a new struggle with peripheral vision and short-term memory loss, Chrissie excelled in her studies.
Although Chrissie never made it to school plays (despite several attempts), she blossomed in the talent shows and lip sync contests. Even though she was rather shy, she overcame that when she competed in these contests. She surprised many people with her angelic voice.
In the eighth grade, Chrissie made a very special Japanese friend named Mai. Mai was also shy and did not speak English very well. Chrissie introduced Mai to American traditions, such as Halloween, sleepovers, New Year’s Eve, and the Fourth of July. They learned from each other. With Mai’s help, Chrissie learned how to speak, write, and read Japanese.
When Mai and her family moved back to Japan, Chrissie’s world started to fall apart. Many children at her school teased Chrissie about being fat, even though she was quite petite. She became very self-conscious, and started to walk more and ride her bike every day.
Trevia-Lynne and Peter gave her the dream trip for her Golden Birthday. They took her to Disney World for a week.
Chrissie and her sister Trevia at Disney World
with Cinderella's castle in the background.
Chrissie with Tigger at Disneyworld.
Chrissie entered high school, and made the Honor Roll and joined the school Chorus. She seemed to have such a bright future ahead of her. As the teasing continued, she became more and more unhappy, and she lost more weight.
We sent Chrissie to doctors to treat her eating disorders and depression. Chrissie was really working hard at getting better. Chrissie joined the Peace Club at school and helped her school be one of the school to obtain a Kaki Tree (second generation of the tree). The Kaki Tree is the tree that survived the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan.
Chrissie often wrote poetry, and won several awards. She designed her own web pages, including “Butterfly Wings: A Book of Poetry.” Chrissie was loved by family and friends.
Despite Chrissie’s physical ailments (asthma, short-term memory loss, peripheral vision loss, acid reflux, anorexia, depression, and Dissociative Identity Disorder), she always had a smile and kind word for everyone.
Chrissie lived her life as if each day were a year. Chrissie had a mission here on Earth. She overcame more challenges in fifteen years than most people do in a lifetime - and she did it with grace and love.
Chrissie’s memory will be carried on through a yearly Angel Run to benefit the two memorial scholarships (Ivymount School and Northwest High School) that have been set up in her name.
Chrissie’s brain was donated to the University of Maryland to research the causes and effects of depression and related neural illnesses. We hope that her memorial scholarships and the donation of her brain tissue will enable future high school students to go to college and help future teenagers to live without depression.
Chrissie’s friends will miss her phrases, such as “Save the Buffaloes” and “Coolies!” Her family will miss her smile and “Well, duhh!” Most of all, I will miss her “Love You More and Love You the Most” to my “I Love You!”
Chrissie’s death was by suicide. Chrissie had made many plans for the holidays. We only found out that she lived with 5 personalities after she died and we got to read the journals that she left. The one personality that was the strongest was the one that talked of killing Chrissie. This is the personality that we believe took over at the end.
Chrissie was an Angel sent from above and now she is our Heavenly Angel always near.
I held an Angel in my heart and arms. Now, I hold her in my heart forever.
Love,
Mom
(Kathie)
Chrissie and Peter at Epcot, in the country of Japan.
It was our last day and she was missing Lace.
Death, we must all confront it at some point in our lives.
It is often evaded but impossible to escape. In death Chrissie Carrigan brought this school together in such a way that is indescribable, but even more, she helped people in life. She affected numerous people daily with her brightness and insight on life. Many students who came in contact with Chrissie were often happier after hearing a cheerful “coolies” or listening to her expound on saving the buffaloes. No words could give justice to who Chrissie really was and how much she lived life to its entirety. She died young but not without leaving her mark on the world and an impression on the hearts of many.
By Emily Thoresen, 2002 yearbook.
A Note From Chrissie's Mom ~
Maria this was what Emily wrote for Chrissie's yearbook in 2002. This is from the best friend Chrissie had in school at the end. This is also the young lady that brought me a ticket to go to graduation for her.
Gone are the days we used to share,
But in our hearts you are always there,
The gates of memory will never close,
We miss you more than anyone knows,
With tender love and deep regret,
We who love you will never forget.
Let it not be said my life was in vain,
I've just moved on to a higher plane.
So I can keep better watch over you,
As you move on like you need to do
Though this life has reached an end,
I'm waiting for you around the bend.
I beg you please don't weep for me!
It's not so bad for soon you'll see,
That I will linger long past this sunset,
In the hearts of you who love me yet.
These wonderful images above are a loving gift from my dear friend,
Pammi.
Only Time
Written and recorded by Enya
Who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows
Only time...
And who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose
Only time...
Who can say why your heart sighs
As your love flies
Only time...
And who can say why your heart cries
When your love lies
Only time...
Who can say when the roads meet
That they might be
In your heart...
And who can say when the day sleeps
If the night keeps all your heart
...night keeps all your heart...
Who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose
Only time...
And who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows
Only time...
Who knows? Only time...
Who knows? Only time...
Christmas Angels 2005
In Memory of Jason Christopher Dunn
A friend can hear a tear drop.
This webpage is created
In Loving Memory of Chrissie Carrigan
on November 2, 2002
Last updated: December 23, 2005
© 2000 - 2005
Click on the Sailor Moon button below to send email to Chrissie's mom...
Click on the "Next" button below to visit the special page
dedicated to Chrissie by her sister Trevia ~
Click on the "Back" button below to visit Chrissie's special gifts page~
Click on the butterfly below to visit the special page
made by Chrissie herself, to promote her poetry ~
And click on the button below to visit the wonderful quilt page for Chrissie ~
Please visit Chrissie and some of her angel friends here ~
Chrissie's Butterfly Cloud
This is a special angel designed for Chrissie ~
Chrissie's Angel Pin
And please also visit this very special page~
For Chrissie's Graduation
And also this new page~
Chrissie's Heartprint Page
And thank you to my
Bestest Buddy
for fixing the photos
and some of the graphics for Chrissie's page!
Thank you also to
Pammi
for so beautifully framing Chrissie's photos, and to
Karen
for the wonderful "angel wings" images of Chrissie.
Andrew... Our Miracle, Our Angel
Angelic Whisper's Web Ring
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http://www.childloss.com
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