Dear Katelijn & Filip,
There are no words that can express our deepest sorrow, nor any words that will make the profound loss of beautiful Olivia any easier to accept or understand. She was and is a beacon of light and hope to your family, and to us — her NMO family. With you, she enriched the lives of NMO friends and families around the world. We can only hope that she and you feel solace in the knowledge that even the brief time we shared with her has permanently changed us — each for the better.
The truth is that Olivia and every life affected by or lost to NMO are why we move forward… why we will not give up. We will never ignore or forget the pain of losing Olivia — but rather bear her great loss — and in doing so redouble our resolve to find cures. In this way, Olivia will be reflected in every life saved and improved as we today travel this road together to end NMO.
In time we may come to understand what we cannot know today. For now, we honor Olivia, and all affected by NMO by doing our best each day — not only to solve NMO — but to live boldly and fearlessly, and with joy as Olivia so gracefully did.
Olivia lives in each of our hearts & minds.
With enduring love,
Victoria, Bill and Ali