Clare Eberle

It is not hyperbole to say that Lindsay might have been the greatest friend the world has seen. The size of the girl's heart amazes me endlessly. I think I would sum it up as this: she made new friends everywhere she went, but still managed to treat the old ones like gold.  She was constantly raving about an awesome person she had just met in class, or at the bar, or at her hair salon. I'll never forget when Lindsay and I were just getting to know each other- I was so flattered, and surprised, that she wanted to go out to dinner, just the two of us. She gave me a Christmas gift before I knew we were on a gift-giving basis. She invited me to hang out with her cool older friends on West Campus. Which reminds me, in fact, that Lindsay might have been the cause of at least one missed flight from RDU. But later in our friendship, she didn't hesitate to pick me up, totally defeated, from another failed flight attempt, and take me out for milk shakes (I do believe I owe Lindsay quite a bit of ice cream). She treated everyone- especially her friends, but truly everyone- like they were extremely important, and this example was her greatest gift to me. Lindsay inspires me daily to be a better friend, and even, if you can believe it, a better stranger. I'm not quite there, but I'm working on it feverishly. It is my ultimate, utmost goal to deliver to my loved ones the degree of gratitude, generosity and dedication that Lindsay extended to everyone around her.

She also inspires me to grab life by the horns, to seize the day and do something good with it. This spring, I decided on a total career about- face, to leave something familiar for a new path and new, very scary city. There were some precarious moments, to say the least, and there will be many more; but my admiration of Lindsay— and some if our shared interests— had inspired my new plans to begin with and when push came to shove, I very vividly heard her voice in my ear: Clare, I think you should go. I think it'll be awesome. That was her ethos: There's an adventure to be had- and gosh darn, it'll be had. Every time I think of Lindsay, her hunger for living fully and gleefully reminds me to get out there and drink the world in.

Lindsay, I want you to know what an amazing 25th birthday you had here on earth. We at 4029 rediscovered the childhood bliss of the 2-wheeled vehicle, and the accompanying freedom. We saw a city that you loved, and we had like a million ebullient toasts. We wore some damn sparkly outfits. So there, girlfriend. Cheers to you.

Happy Lindsay Day!

Dave Furfaro

Lindsay has inspired in many abstract ways, but in the past 6 weeks her influence has been far more tangible. I just started working in the hospital, and each time I see a patient Lindsay is a constant reminder of how to appreciate them. Perhaps the patient is like Lindsay in that they are loved by and love so many, and bring the people around them constant, unrelenting joy and laughter. No matter who the patient is I know that Lindsay would care about each of them and I try to carry her lessons with me into each room.

Anne Rhett

Lindsay did birthdays best. For those lucky enough to have been within Lindsay’s gift-giving network, it is common knowledge that the girl was the queen bee of picking out presents. Her generous spirit coupled with her impeccably hip taste enabled her to gift friends in ways they had simply never been gifted before. She had an uncanny knack for leading you the very products, ideas, and people you would later ask yourself how you possibly ever lived without.

Although I am not particularly keen on keeping track of my belongings (Clare can attest that our weekend mantra in college was frequently “Where is my phone/coat/dignity?”), I have actually managed to hold onto every gift that Lindsay ever bestowed upon me over the years.

My very favorite bit of all of my Lindsay Swag is actually the card that came to my doorstep, tucked in a Fed Ex parcel, Christmas 2009--the year I “made my debut.” The importance of the box’s contents pales in comparison to the value I have derived from the pithy message attached to it. The note read: “Congratulations and welcome to society! I love you and whatever person you become.” (If you must know, the gift was the ever-venerated Olsen Twin’s Coffee Table Book Influence--an impossibly impeccable choice.)   

This note was short (unlike Lindsay) but fabulously witty, sweet (like Lindsay), and reading it for the first time made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside and like a superstar on the outside (like Lindsay). I read the subtext of her message loud and clear: Dear Anne, I forgive you for not being born an Olsen and like/appreciate you anyways. Love (despite the odds), Lindsay.

 I tacked the card to my mirror, and there it has stayed, a constant reminder of the thoughtful friend and  “woman of society” that Lindsay was.

As I have navigated the ups and downs of the past year, trying my hand at “becoming” a “person” of sorts in the so-called real world, I have found constant comfort and inspiration in knowing that, despite my mistakes, Lindsay would accept and love “whatever person” I am becoming.

If it is true what they say-- that to have friends, you must be a friend--it makes perfect sense that so many people grew to love and cherish Lindsay in her short time here. Her generous friendship required no pretention or prerequisites--it was her ultimate act of gift-giving.

The rules were simple: Come as you are. Check your pretense at the door. Have a pierogi. Have two pierogis. And a chocolate chip pancake, whydontcha?  Be what you will be. (Whatever person that may be!) I will love you anyways.

As heartbroken as I am that I did not get the chance to watch Lindsay become the dazzling person she would have been, I cherish the gift that was our time together and am comforted by the knowledge that so many people, whatever kinds of people they may be, were irreversibly changed for the better thanks to her presence. (And her presents, of course.)

I want to truly thank all those who have found a way to honor Lindsay in their lives. I am humbled by your accomplishments and know she would have been wowed as well!

Molly Magnuson

Lindsay inspires me to reach. Reach, I suppose, can mean many different things for many different people. For me it meant 20.2 miles longer than my usual 6 mile reach, at best.

Lindsay inspired me to take this risk- because what fun is it to stay ordinary and  content if you’re not pushing yourself for something more meaningful and fulfilling?  It’s not the actual tangible success at the end that matters so much, it’s the act of getting there.  People quickly forget that the ride is just as important as the destination. The drive, the reach, the journey, is both the telling and testing part, and wherein lies the true test of whether you are a moral, happy and selfless person (something I’m “reaching” to be).

The character she displayed and upheld throughout her battle is a testament to her genuine, fierce and selfless nature, and I can only hope that exists somewhere within me. Lindsay never did the nice thing because it was the “right” thing, she did the nice thing because it was the nice thing to do. She inspires me to instill this mentality into everything I do, professionally and personally. Be nice. Be kind. Be real.

I feel a bit at a crossroads with my life at the moment. Your typical quarter life crisis, if you will (this is me being dramatic, something Lindsay always pointed out….i hope lovingly?! J) Luckily, Lindsay reminds me I am one damned lucky girl to be at a crossroad, and whichever way I go, as long as I keep reaching, ill be just fine.

Happy Birthday, Linds :)

Jen Zwilling

Lindsay has brought me closer to incredible people. Her memory serves as a constant reminder of the type of friend that I want to be. I like to think that i have learned to treasure my closest friendships and (try to) not get caught up in all of the little things that don't seem to matter as much anymore. Amanda and I seem to share our friends. Looking back, I feel like Lindsay was one of the first people that really got that. Lindsay quickly became not just "my sister's friend" but my friend too. In many ways, Lindsay has brought Amanda and I even closer over the past year and has reminded me how lucky I am to share my friends with her, and grow closer to friends like the ones I will spend today with in DC. There is something about having Lindsay in all of our hearts that I really believe acts as an instant bond, like some sort of test that we have all passed simply by being a friend of Lindsay's, a mutual understanding of the way we will treat each other, and an unspoken promise to keep her with us and celebrate life in her honor, especially on days like today.

Amanda Zwilling

I think that it’s only natural to be influenced and inspired by one’s best friends to a certain extent.  Personally, though, I know that the number of ways that Lindsay inspires me on a daily basis far exceed that of a typical friend.  Many of the ways that I’ve been inspired by Lindsay over the past few years are extremely obvious; I’ve worked to establish and raise money for a scholarship in her memory at Duke and I’ve committed myself to increasing the number of donors in the National Bone Marrow Registry.  I’m a vegetarian, and I try to be as eco-friendly in my daily life as possible.  I overaccessorize proudly, and feel way less guilty about shopping online.   While these are extremely important on a practical level, the ways that Lindsay continues to inspire me on a day-to-day basis are far more meaningful to me:

Lindsay inspired me to believe that family is your most important and best friends.  I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve grown up in an unusually close and supportive family, just like Lindsay.  Although I’ve always known that my parents and siblings are a source of unconditional love and support, I learned the meaning of this on a different level through the Rawot family.  Billie, John, and Brandon would and did do absolutely everything in their power to support Lindsay emotionally and physically, and the mutual love, friendship, and respect between Lindsay and her family was tangible.  I have been inspired to know the true meaning of family through the entire Rawot family, and what it means to be completely selfless and dedicated in a family bond.  I have never cherished my friendship, love, and trust, with my parents and siblings more than I have learned to over the past few years, and we have all discussed the Rawot family’s influence on this.  

Further, I’ve learned that your best friends truly are the family you choose.  As Emily perfectly described it, Lindsay treated her friends like kings and queens.  Lindsay taught me that true friendship has no bounds.  It was without thought that I committed myself selflessly to my friendship with Lindsay after she was diagnosed, but Lindsay has inspired me to really understand who my true best friends are, and commit to those friendships with no abandon.  Lindsay knew the meaning of true friendship, and showered her best friends with love, support, encouragement, advice, and the most perfect gifts.  This memory continuously inspires me in my friendships, and I strive to emulate her quality and strength of relationships in my own.

Lindsay has inspired me to allow myself to be passionate in everything that I do: friendship, love, crushes who will never be love, my education, fun, partying, learning, reading, discovering the world around me; I’ve learned never to apologize for who I am. Lindsay never settled for less than what she felt she was capable of, earned, and deserved, and I try to hold myself to the same very high standard.   I learned from Lindsay never to be embarrassed or feel compelled to explain myself when following my heart, intuition, or mind, and that my true friends, family included, will be supportive when on these endeavors.  

I’ve been inspired to live more spontaneously.  As I wrote about on the blog last year, Lindsay loved to be spontaneous and lived life with a certain attitude of ease unattainable by most.  I’ve tried to take the little things in life less seriously, and be more spontaneous when it comes to fun and following my heart.

Lastly, Lindsay has inspired me to never, ever give up.  I have never met someone with the level of determination and fight that Lindsay embodied, both during her battle with cancer and before.  Lindsay taught me never to give up whether the battle is something small that is merely important to me, or something as consequential as life.  Lindsay’s perseverance gives me perspective everyday, and I feel so lucky to call Lindsay my inspiration, role model, and best friend.

LAR – I miss you more and more everyday, but you are in my heart and with me in everything that I do.  You have touched and inspired more lives than most could ever hope to, and I am so proud and lucky to call myself your best friend.  Happy 25^th Birthday Linds.  Infinite love, hugs, and kisses, today and always.