Dear Grace,
Halloween was the beginning of the 2025 holiday season, and it was our first holiday without you, our love. We weren’t really sure what to do. We had grown so accustomed to talking with you and Luke about what you wanted to be for Halloween, even though you were starting to outgrow those cute little costumes.
Your brother decided to bring back his Moss Man costume, and he seemed to really love it. It was strange seeing him get ready without you here. You were supposed to be at Universal Studios-Halloween Night with your friends, and we were all supposed to go to Danielle’s party together in our family costumes. As usual, we had been procrastinating about our costumes. Halloween was never a huge holiday for us, but we wanted to dress up together as a family.
But we couldn’t go without you. It just didn’t feel right.
Luke invited David over, and they went trick-or-treating around Park La Brea. We walked our usual route and came home with a decent amount of candy. It was a simple, low-key night, but everything felt different. You should have been there.
Of course, your brother had to make things more complicated by wanting to wake up at 5:30, the next morning to go to Disneyland. That was fun. Getting up that early was difficult, but we all had a great time. We didn’t hide the candy as we usually do, so Luke went a little crazy eating it. You weren’t here to tell him, as you always did, to slow down and stop eating so much candy because it will make him sick.
You cared so much for your brother. Even when you yelled at him, we knew it came from love. You were always looking out for him.
That is what makes these moments so difficult for us. It’s not just that you aren’t here for the big things. It’s all the little things—the conversations, the teasing, the traditions, the random dance parties and the everyday moments we never thought we’d have to live without.
So, our love, we somehow made it through our first holiday without you. Halloween came and went, but it felt surreal and incredibly empty without you.
We are beginning to build something in your honor—a nonprofit dedicated to educating people about blood clots and helping prevent other families from experiencing the unimaginable loss we are living through. We don’t know where this journey will take us, but we know why we are doing it.
We are doing it for you.
We miss you more than words can ever express. You should be here, making plans, dressing up, laughing with your friends, teasing your brother, and growing into the beautiful young woman you were becoming. We wish more than anything that we could have shared this Halloween with you and watched you create new memories with us.
We love you, Gracie bug. We always will. As we move through each holiday, each tradition, and each moment without you, we will carry your love with us. We will keep talking about you, remembering you, honoring you and doing everything we can to keep your light alive.
Love always,