Too bright, too fast, special
Comparing someone to the sun might seem a bit cliche—until you met Cassie. Radiant in both appearance and humor, she had her own gravitational pull that was impossible to resist. If you weren’t immediately drawn towards her perfect cat-eye makeup and impeccable fashion sense, you would be drawn to her charisma. She had a firm sense of self, unbothered by other people’s opinions but respectful of their feelings. Once, while running a 5K with her older sister Caitlin, Cassie’s shoes began bothering her. She ripped them off and finished the race barefoot, not caring what anyone else thought. The running wasn’t important to her, anyway. She just wanted to eat the celebratory dinner with her sister.
Cassie was the mood maker of every group, including her family. She checked on her grandparents—her Mimi and Papa—every day, no matter how old she was or how ill she became. She kept her mother D’Ann young and her brother Kendon accountable. Her bond with her younger sister Camryn was unbreakable: they did everything from watching scary movies to working together. When her nephew needed a temporary guardian, Cassie agreed to raise him for a few months—something that he has never forgotten, even now. To Caitlin, Cassie would always be her baby sister.
“Cass always reminded me of the coolest girl in a movie,” Caitlin said. “I once asked her to help me with my makeup for an event. I wanted to try emulating some of her cool charm. She came over to my house and we climbed up onto the bathroom counter. I sat with my eyes closed as Cass painted and fixed my face. That night was the only time I ever successfully wore fake eyelashes.”
Cassie had a knack for creating something unique out of the eclectic. It started with her fashion and makeup, then extended to decorating her first apartment. Later, she began painting. She maintained a philosophy of always living life to the fullest. After understanding the damage substance misuse had had on her body, though, this philosophy only intensified. For her family and loved ones, it was painful to watch her struggle between addiction and recovery. Cassie’s death was earth-shattering. It was like losing the sun.
Witnessing her sister’s experience with substance use disorder has made Caitlin more outspoken about the disease. She tries to educate people about the reality of addiction. It also made her more calm, more open with her love, and more attentive to her family.
“I quit drinking,” she shared. “I’m more quick to tell someone I love them. I hug people more. I drop everything if my family asks for help now. In a sense, we all lived in the addiction’s chaos, but now that it’s subsided enough, we can just remember her and miss her.”
Cassie’s sister, Caitlin Huggins, provided the information for this narrative.
November 22, 1991-August 27, 2020-Age 28
Portrait Artist: Jerald Pope
Narrative Writer: Angela Day
