Girl Who Died Before the 6th Grade Still Inspires Others With Her Message of 'Love is Everywhere'

A Tigard, Oregon elementary student who died before entering 6th grade is still inspiring others with her message that “love is everywhere.” Holly Bruno would be a senior this year, celebrating graduation and adventures to come. However, Holly died from soft tissue cancer in 2018. Though Holly is not here with her classmates and friends, a group of Twality Middle School students honor her every year.

Twality Middle School is part of the Tigard-Tualatin School District in the Portland metropolitan area. Twality teacher Emily Dehn leads a student group called Twality Care Alliance, and she shared with KOIN 6, “We really wanted to find a way to keep her spirit in our group.”

Holly’s Friends Wanted to Remember Holly

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The awesome kids of Twality Care Alliance raised $1,000 in 2024 and donated those funds to Candlelighters, an organization that helped and supported Holly’s family as she battled cancer. Holly’s mom, Heidi Bruno, was there when the group presented their donation to Candlelighters. She greeted the group, recognizing a few familiar faces, and said, “I think this whole group started because some of Holly’s friends wanted to remember Holly.”

Sarina Farhangi, a member of Twality Care Alliance, explained that the group raised the money for Candlelighters primarily by doing photo booths at school dances, during lunches, and on holidays like Valentine’s Day and Halloween. She enthusiastically shared that they are also doing winter crafts, which is an activity that they did the previous year as well.

TMS student Kennedy Keim shared, “We have this shared sense of pride for the accomplishment we made with raising all this money for such an incredible organization.”

The Student’s Donation Makes a Big Difference

A representative from Candlelighters assured the students that their donation is a tremendous help. Candlelighters helps about 350 families every year, and each of those families, like the Bruno family, has a child fighting cancer.

While her loss is incredible, Mrs. Bruno finds comfort in knowing that Holly’s life has impacted hundreds of people. Heidi shared, “Obviously I wish she was here, but this is a way for her to live on through these kids.”

Miss Holly wrote the words “love is everywhere” on the whiteboard in her hospital room. Clearly, she expressed love throughout her struggles. What a courageous little girl she must have been! Years after her passing, her love and legacy is experienced by those she personally knew, by the kids who grow and gain compassion while raising money for groups like Candlelighters, and by those families that will be touched by TCA’s most recent donation.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

WATCH: Girl Who Died Before the 6th Grade Still Inspires Others With Her Message of “Love is Enough”

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h/t:  KOIN 6

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/KOIN 6

Hally is a freelance writer, blogger, and mental health advocate. A former school counselor, Hally works for a nonprofit that distributes tax dollars to mental health and prevention education providers that serve her county's kids and families. She's a contributor to a devotional and two essay collectives, and she shares resources and wisdom regarding parenting teens, mental health, faith, adoption, and more at https://www.hallyjwells.com where she strives to "Dig Deep and Reach High." She and her husband have three adult children and one rascally beagle pup. Hally loves travel, her book club sisters, personality tests, and a great glass of iced tea.