Holly is greatly missed by so many.  She was such a bright, enthusiastic young lady.  She made friends so easily and always wanted to help those in need.
Holly's family, friends, and loved ones have two Holly's to remember, the Holly before the accident, and the one after the accident.  Traumatic brain Injury (TBI) affects your life and abilities in so many ways.  Simple things we take for granted such as tying your shoes are no longer an easy function after a brain injury.  Holly's closed head injury was very, very, severe, and left her without the ability to care for any of her needs for a very long time.
Holly never complained about her injury or limited abilities, but would oftentimes become frustrated because she so wanted to do the things she was used to doing. She had always excelled at just about everything she did ; as a student, a big sister, an athlete, a friend, and finally as a patient.  She was never expected to live, much less to make the progress she did in her rehab. She just tried to make the best of the situation life handed her.
The last six months of her recovery and rehab were the best for her.  She had regained many of her abilities and was just starting to enjoy many things in life that a young lady her age should.
Holly had worked hard to regain abilities over the course of six years, and touched so many lives in the process.  I often question why God allowed Holly to go through so much and to make such great progress, only to meet the expected outcome at the time of her accident.  The answer I come to each time is that God used Holly to touch and inspire so many people after her accident.  She was then given her true reward in heaven.
In the United States traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death for persons under the age of 45.  A TBI occurs every 15 seconds, and approximately 5 million Americans currently suffer from some form of TBI disability.  The leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injuries are motor vehicle accidents, falls, and sports injuries.
The Crumley House Brain Injury Rehab program plays a vital role in helping individuals with brain injuries regain abilities. It was very comforting to have an organization like The Crumley House when making decisions about Holly's care after her injury.
The Holly Proffitt Memorial Scholarship Program was started after Holly's death to help individuals who have suffered a TBI and need additional resources or funding.  The Scholarship was funded by contributions by Holly's family, friends, and loved ones in her memory.
Holly will live on forever in the hearts and memories of everyone she touched. The last words I told her before she went to heaven were  "You Are My Hero".


http://www.crumleyhouse.com/
http://www.braininjury.com/

Aunt Sandy got Holly The Complete Tales Of Winnie The Pooh when she was in the hospital.  I sat and read her all the stories while she was still in a coma, and continued reading them to her after she came home.  I remember reading the butterfly story to her many times, but never imagined how significant it would become in our lives.  This page was made by Sandy and is in Holly's scrapbook.  She always loved her Pooh Bear.  Her room is exactly like she left it with all her Pooh keepsakes and I will always treasure them.

Holly did not have a real interest in flowers or plants before her accident, but always admired their beauty. We had a small grassy area shaped in the form of a semi-triangle to the right of our driveway that always "needed something". When Holly graduated in 1997 from High School after her accident, she asked her Aunt Sandy to make it into a flower garden just for her.  Sandy planted her a special garden which consisted of several forms of hostas, day lillies, prim rose and ferns.  Each fall these plants had to be cut back when their leaves died, and Holly always looked forward to seeing them all bloom back out beautiful in the spring.
Holly's brother, Aaron, works in landscaping and mowing, and I usually have him clean out her bed each fall.  I was having a particularly bad day this year on her birthday (October 3), and had planned to clean out her flower bed that evening myself just to be able to do something for her. I was unable to get to it however until the evening of October 6, which just happened to be the day Holly came home from the hospital when she was born.
I started at the top corner of the garden and trimmed away all the dead leaves.  As I was removing them from the bed, I noticed something green and taller right in the middle under a bunch of old hosta leaves.  It was a beautiful green Holly tree!  A lot of people would tell me that a bird dropped that seed there, but I don't think so.  There are no other Holly trees around. The chances of a bird dropping that holly seed right in the middle of her garden when there are miles and miles of pasture and lawns around are very small.  I know in my heart that Holly sent me that tree from heaven.  She knew I would have a hard time during her birthday and anniversary of her death, which is October 21, and she made sure I was the one who found it. I will cherish and nurture that tree forever.
I do believe that our loved ones continue to speak to us, we just have to learn how to listen.

You Didn't Go Alone  
You never said I'm leaving
You never said goodbye
You were gone before I knew it,
And only God knew why
A million times we've needed you
A million times we've cried.
If love alone could've saved you
You would have never died.
In life we loved you dearly
In death we love you still.
In our hearts you hold a place
No one else could ever fill.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn't go alone.
Part of us went with you
The day God took you home.

We Love you Forever Holly

Your Family

I’ll lend you for a little time a child of mine, He said

For you to love while she lives,

And mourn for when she is dead.

It may be six or seven years,

Or twenty-two or three,

But will you, till I call her back,

Take care of her for me?

She’ll bring her charms to gladden you,

And should her stay be brief,

You’ll have her lovely memories

As solace for your grief.

I cannot promise she will stay,

Since all from earth return,

But there are lessons taught down there

I want this child to learn.

I’ve looked this wide world over

In my search for teachers true

And from the throngs that crowd life’s lanes,

I have selected you.

Now will you give her all your love,

Not think the labor in vain,

Nor hate me when I come to call,

And take her back again?

I fancied that I heard them say

Dear Lord, Thy will be done.

For all the joy

Thy child shall bring,

The risk of grief we’ll run.

We’ll shelter her with tenderness,

We’ll love her while we may;

And for the happiness we’ve known,

Forever grateful stay.

But should the Angels call for her

Much sooner than we planned,

We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes,

And try to understand.

Holly Renae Proffitt

10/3/79- 10/21/2002

A Special Angel

There’s a special angel in heaven

That is a part of me.

It is not where we wanted her right now,

But where God wanted her to be.

She was here just a moment,

Like a night-time shooting star.

And though she is in heaven,

She isn’t very far.

She touched the hearts of many,

Like only an angel can do.

We would have held her every minute,

If the end we only knew.

So we send this special message,

To heaven up above.

Please take care of our angel,

And send her all our love.

I'm Still Here

Mother please don't mourn for me

I'm still here, though you don't see

I'm right by your side each night and day

And within your heart I long to stay

My body is gone but I'm always near

I'm everything you feel, see or hear

My spirit is free, but I'll never depart

As long as you keep me alive in your heart

I'll never wander out of your sight

I'm the brightest star on a summer night

I'll never be beyond your reach

I'm the warm moist sand when you're at the beach

I'm the colorful leaves when fall comes around

And the pure white snow that blankets the ground

I'm the beautiful flowers of which you're so fond

The clear cool water in a quit pond

I'm the first bright blossom you'll see in the spring

The first warm raindrop that April will bring

I'm the first ray of light when the sun starts to shine

And you'll see that the face in the moon is mine

When you start thinking there's no one to love you

You can talk to me through the Lord above you

I'll whisper my answer through the leaves on the trees

And you'll feel my presence in the soft summer breeze

I'm the hot salty tears that flow when you weep

And the beautiful dreams that come while you sleep

I'm the smile you see on a baby's face

Just look for me, Mother, I'm everyplace!

Author Unknown~