I would like to take a moment to thank you all for being here today to celebrate Nicole’s life. She has touched the lives of so many, simply by being herself. I am continuously amazed by her kindness and thoughtfulness she always shared, she constantly made me want to be a better person. I would like to specifically thank Mr. and Mrs. Parker and Brianne for sharing your beautiful daughter and sister with us and for welcoming us into your home. You all became my second family and I can never repay you for what you have given me. I would also like to thank Callum King for bringing so much joy into Nicole’s life. You allowed Nicole to experience a love far beyond words can describe. As her friend, it lit my heart up every time Nicole would talk about your adventures. She loved you so much, and I hope you continue to feel as loved and supported as she made you feel.

I went to highschool with Nicole, but it wasn’t until the summer before Senior year that we realized that we needed each other in our lives. In 2012, I was lucky enough to be sent on a band trip halfway across the world with a group of people that would inevitably become my best friends. As I’m sure anyone on that trip (we called ourselves Group

Lincolnshire for reasons that would take too long to explain) could testify for, there’s this weird thing that happens when you travel with people, you start to bond in a way that’s extremely difficult to communicate but incredibly obvious once you experience or witness it. I’m forever grateful for that experience, and most importantly it brought one of the greatest lights of this world into my life.

 

As our friendship continued to grow through senior year, and eventually after graduation, the inseparable bond among myself, Tyler, Zack, and Nicole blossomed into something that I can only call magic. We did everything together, however the four of us are infamous for not being able to make decisions on what to do, so most of the time we would just end up in Nicole’s living room talking. Some of my greatest memories with Nicole happened right in her house. I would love to share stories that caused the four of us to laugh so hard we cried (which happened pretty much every hour), but I’m almost positive no one else would think it was nearly as funny as we did, and that’s okay. We think we’re hilarious.

I would like to share the story about our Senior Prom weekend. After the dance, Nicole, Zack, Tyler, Hannah Penny, Amber Robinson and I booked a hotel room on the beach for the weekend. Our room had a kitchen, so Zack would wake up early and make us all chocolate chip pancakes and then we would spend the afternoon flying kites and just enjoying each other’s company. One evening, we were walking along the shoreline and Tyler picked out a seagull, gleefully proclaiming, “Bird!”. From that moment on, we referred to aptly named Bird as our friend, personifying him relentlessly; creating unnecessary stories where Bird was the protagonist. We thought it was the funniest thing, and I guess now you can get a taste of our award-winning sense of humor. Bird morphed into an inside joke within our little group and came up in conversation frequently.

After graduation, I went to school out of state in Virginia while Nic, Zack and Tyler stayed in state. I remember the night before I left for JMU, we stood in Nicole’s doorway shedding a couple tears but setting countdowns until the next time we would all be together, which was unfortunately after Thanksgiving. However, despite the 691-mile difference, and thanks to technology and especially snapchat, our friendship grew even stronger. Which made the news in January of Nicole’s diagnosis that much harder.

But, as you all know, Nicole is brave and brilliant and beautiful and everything you could ever want in a friend and she was not going to let this stop her. Fortunately, I was able to make frequent visits home to be there with Nic and the rest of the Nerd Herd (that’s us). Things of course changed, but Nicole’s positivity, perseverance, and probably stubbornness, kept us rolling. That summer actually turned out to be one of the best summers all of us have spent together.

As time went on, visits home were becoming less frequent but we stuck together and always dropped anything and everything when Nicole needed us. We knew she would do the same for us. In fact, despite everything she was experiencing, she did do the same for us.

Bird grew into a symbol of our friendship. It became a symbol of strength, hope, and faith. We no longer think of bird as a goofy seagull that just happened to land close to Tyler. We used birds to show our love, to pass on well wishes, and to comfort Nicole and each other. Tonight, the three of us are wearing bird pins to bring comfort, and remind us of the love and hope Nicole constantly instilled in us.

I frequently think about the time I came home for only 24 hours, but the 4 of us were determined to spend all the time we could together. Nicole, Tyler, and Zack met me at the airport, picked me up, and drove me home. That was all we had – those 45 minutes at 12 in the morning to catch up on everything. We laughed the entire way home.

I cherish those small moments so much. Something as insignificant as a car ride or spotting a bird on a beach always turned into something much more.  Especially now, I hold each single minute very close to my heart.

The magical, incredible, and probably weird friendship the four of us shared together will continue through the legacy Nicole has left. We laughed, we cried, and we napped. But most of all, we loved. We loved deeply and unconditionally. We stuck with each other through every twist, turn, and actual tornado (that one is real, ask Tyler and Dr. Parker about that). Because of Nicole, I experienced a friendship like no other, and for that I am forever grateful.  Nicole, thank you for giving me everything I needed and so much more. I hope I did the same for you. Fly like Bird, Nic. I love you.  -Madison Azzara