When Kaitlyn was 15, she applied to the North Carolina School of Science and Math. It is a boarding school in the NC school system in Durham for the mathematically and scientifically gifted. Room, Board, Food, books…..all free and anyone that graduated from there got a free scholarship to any university they were accepted into in the NC university system. She wanted this so much, but I could not bear the thought of her living away from home 3 hours away from me at 16 to 18 years of age. But I was willing to do it…for her. She was accepted at this highly competitive to get into school (they only accept about 300 a year out of thousands of applicants). But alas, Kaitlyn wanted to come home after 2 weeks even though she was doing well academically….she was just so very lonely. So I went and got her myself and she picked back up at her regular high school just where she left off.
If you want to know somewhat about the kind of child/teenager/and young woman my daughter was, please read this letter of recommendation that someone wrote for her for her application to that school. It speaks volumes about Kaitlyn’s personality and intellect.
My Bright Shining Star 
You must feel so proud when you read that. At least you know that her life touched people in a very profound way. She was clearly very, very special and will never be forgotten by those that knew her.
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I have always been so very proud of her her whole life, I still am. She is a very special being. (she’s not a person in our sense of the word anymore….but she is a wonderful being). No one that ever knew her will ever forget her. They will try their best to get along…but never forget her.
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I think you make an excellent point Rhonda in that even a young person who appears to be coping exceptionally well can still be masking depression. This is a very important message that you’re conveying so effectively with your blog, your book and the other resources you mention. I believe that you have helped to save lives with your on-going work. Bless you.
Nancy
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Thanks for posting this. I knew she was that smart, and I told her that I thought she was twice as smart as I am. It is gratifying to know that other people knew how broad and deep her intelligence was too. And I’m glad those people took action and wrote it down.
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I hope so that is what I’m trying to do Nancy. Thank you.
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Yes Neal. I just wanted to show how some other people thought of Kaitlyn and not just me. Being her mother one might think I was exaggerating, but she was all that he said and SO much more he didn’t even touch on. She was very smart….and just as sweet. She was so much wiser than her years. I just found that document not long ago in a box up in my closet. I have not seen it since the time it was written until I saw it in that box.
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It must have broken your heart once again to find that letter about Kaitlyn and have to acknowledge again the magnitude of the loss of Kaitlyn, not just to your family, but to the world. So very much promise …
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It was. But then again everything I see and do reminds me of the magnitude of her loss….to us and to the world. It hurts so much I can’t stand it.
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