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It's the little things that help you remember something
that was once a really big part of your life. Susanna, although she was so petite, was such a powerful human being with such an enormous heart. So fun, so exciting, so loving, and so remarkably amazing,
both on the inside and by her outer appearance. The fact that Susanna had lost all of her hair made her unique. She was an individual who was truly proud of what she looked like and how she felt about
herself. Unlike most people battling cancer, Susanna would joke around and say she would win the "best hair award" in our fourth grade yearbook. Sometimes she would wear a hat if we were
somewhere with a lot of people, but later she would realize that the real Susanna didn't wear a hat; the real Susanna was courageous and didn't need to be embarrassed because she differed from everyone else.
Whether it was her very own pool parties at the Marriott,
slumber parties, trips to FAO Schwartz, Girl Scout camp outs, or DZ Discovery Zone, Susanna was always out to have a good time, and always made sure she was the life of the party. Her creativity contributed to
many gatherings at the DeLaurentis house and her crazy ideas made every moment spent with her so enjoyable and exhilarating. Although frequent visits to CHOP and many doctors appointments filled up most of
Susanna's agenda, she always managed to squeeze in a shopping spree and a phone call home, letting all her friends know she was doing really well. She always made sure she was up-to-date with everything, from
fashion to art supplies and even homework. Her passion for learning and art made her an influence to all who knew her.
Susanna was incredibly artistic. A lot of her free
time was spent styling American Girl Dolls and drawing pictures of Arthur, our favorite cartoon. All of her pencils had to be perfectly pointed in color order, and her new boxes of crayons consisted of
hundreds of different colors. Her closet probably had 50 different pairs of shoes (which is a lot for any person, let alone a teeny 9 year old), and the same shirt in 6 different colors and patterns. Her
organization skills made it fun to mess up the order, just to put it back again.
There's a million and one things I can say I absolutely
loved about Susanna. Obviously I would need all the time in the world to do so, but one particular thing stands out in my mind when I remember our fun-filled childhood together. Susanna was an
unbelievable best friend and still remains the only person who will know me better than I know myself. Being so close to Susanna makes it so hard to live without her inspiration and beautiful smile, but it
also makes it really easy to keep her spirit alive and think about all the positive ways in which she will guide me (and many people, I'm sure) through the rest of life. A leader, a mentor and a friend, one I
will never ever forget, I love you and thank you for enriching my life and giving me the most amazing and unforgettable childhood experience.
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