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Chuck daddy to Avery 3 years old with CF
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Young woman's zest for life celebrated
By Millete Birhanemaskel, birhanemaskelm@knews.com
March 8, 2007
If it is true that life is not measured in years but rather in the impressions one leaves behind, Kristen Fischer lived a lifetime and then some.
She died Friday from complications related to cystic fibrosis.
She was 23 years old.
But it was hard to remember Kristen's time was so short from the memories shared at her funeral Tuesday at Bearden United Methodist Church.
She dressed up as queen of Sparta for Mardi Gras and balanced a Bible on her head as a half-joking reminder of being under God.
Lying in a hospital bed, she met University of Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl. She lifted her respiratory mask and offered to say a prayer for him.
"If only we knew how to live as she died," said Kely Braswell, senior pastor at Antioch Community Church.
Kristen will be remembered as a person who didn't let problems stand in her way.
Cystic fibrosis causes mucus to build up and clog organs, particularly the lungs. But Kristen played trombone in the high school marching band.
She couldn't keep a beat but never let that prevent her from dancing.
When the disease did restrict her physically - last summer she couldn't go on a mission trip to Turkey - Kristen's heart remained unrestrained. She stayed behind in Knoxville and held a weekly "Turkish Delight" that included e-mailing prayers to the group abroad.
There was no room for sorrow in Kristen's eyes. Not even while she was in intensive care and fully aware that one morning she would not wake up.
Her uncle, Martin Fischer, said Kristen told her family: "If I wake up, I'll see you. If I don't, I'll see Christ. Either way, I win."
Kristen is survived by her parents, Ted and Elizabeth Fischer of Oak Ridge; two brothers, Neal and Scot; and several extended family members and friends.
Millete Birhanemaskel may be reached at 865 342-6268.
Copyright 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!
Chuck daddy to Avery 3 years old with CF
PRINT THIS STORY | E-MAIL THIS STORY
Young woman's zest for life celebrated
By Millete Birhanemaskel, birhanemaskelm@knews.com
March 8, 2007
If it is true that life is not measured in years but rather in the impressions one leaves behind, Kristen Fischer lived a lifetime and then some.
She died Friday from complications related to cystic fibrosis.
She was 23 years old.
But it was hard to remember Kristen's time was so short from the memories shared at her funeral Tuesday at Bearden United Methodist Church.
She dressed up as queen of Sparta for Mardi Gras and balanced a Bible on her head as a half-joking reminder of being under God.
Lying in a hospital bed, she met University of Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl. She lifted her respiratory mask and offered to say a prayer for him.
"If only we knew how to live as she died," said Kely Braswell, senior pastor at Antioch Community Church.
Kristen will be remembered as a person who didn't let problems stand in her way.
Cystic fibrosis causes mucus to build up and clog organs, particularly the lungs. But Kristen played trombone in the high school marching band.
She couldn't keep a beat but never let that prevent her from dancing.
When the disease did restrict her physically - last summer she couldn't go on a mission trip to Turkey - Kristen's heart remained unrestrained. She stayed behind in Knoxville and held a weekly "Turkish Delight" that included e-mailing prayers to the group abroad.
There was no room for sorrow in Kristen's eyes. Not even while she was in intensive care and fully aware that one morning she would not wake up.
Her uncle, Martin Fischer, said Kristen told her family: "If I wake up, I'll see you. If I don't, I'll see Christ. Either way, I win."
Kristen is survived by her parents, Ted and Elizabeth Fischer of Oak Ridge; two brothers, Neal and Scot; and several extended family members and friends.
Millete Birhanemaskel may be reached at 865 342-6268.
Copyright 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!