Claire Wineland died on September 2 at 21. Although I did not follow her closely on social media, I knew about her and was rooting for her every step of the way through her journey with cystic fibrosis. I watched her Ted Talks and her YouTube videos and waited for the day she would get a new set of lungs. When I checked my Instagram feed on the morning of September 4, I was devastated.

With each struggle in her life, she was only encouraged by it. Claire pressed for positivity and happiness no matter how dark the situation was. She spread her thoughts and empowerment while inspiring others in similar situations and informing people of these situations.

I remember watching her video where she was explaining what it is like to be in a coma and I remember her kind of laughing at the weird dreamlike state she was in where she would feel what they were doing to her but she would see something completely different.

Like putting her on ice and she thought she was in Antarctica. She made light of dark situations. She practically lived in the hospital, from what I could tell, and still, she always had a smile on her face and not a single complaint. She may not have liked dealing with cystic fibrosis, but it was her story to tell and she made it a good one. She did not have one bad thing to say about life, and I only have beautiful things to say about her.

When I looked up her cause of death, I was taken aback. Somehow I had no idea that she was had gotten new lungs, and for a second, I was really excited for her. She was stoked to have a good pair of lungs and be able to live a normal life, and I was excited to see her live it up.

Although, I am unsure of the details, I know she suffered a stroke after she received the lungs and did not survive. Claire left a beautiful and inspirational legacy. Wherever she is now, I hope that she is breathing easy. Rest in peace, Claire; the world will never forget you.