August 22nd, 2018 

Dear Forever Missed Brianna Louise Delagran,

On behalf of Gender Creative Kids Canada, I would like to offer my most sincere gratitude for your donation towards our organization.

Your support makes it possible for our organization to continue forward on its mission of providing peer support and resources that affirm and empower gender creative kids and their families, within their schools and communities.This heartfelt donation will help us achieve our vision of assuring that our world is a safe, affirming and joyful place for all children.

We shall share your beautiful life and stories with the children and families of our organization who love unconditionally and without judgement.Your donation demonstrates love; a love that does not sit there like a stone, but rather a love that has been made like bread, and shared, to inspire all to remake it all the time.

With immense gratitude, I remain

 Yours truly, 

Connie Chabot

Chair, Gender Creative Kids Canada

Brianna, you were the best childhood friend anyone could ask for. When I think back to special memories and growing up in Minneapolis, I can’t help but think how lucky I was to have lived only one block from you. I will never forget your special yellow house, your incredible collection of play mobile toys that was always set up in the playroom, and of course your guinea pigs (I will always remember you as queen of the guinea pigs!) One year for Halloween we wore poodle skirts and of course, you had a guinea pig on your skirt instead of a poodle, you were always so creative and fun. Your parents were amazing, and I will never forget the elaborate birthday party’s they threw for you. If I recall correctly, one year you had a travel birthday party where we “visited” different countries, I just remember being a little girl thinking “wow” how incredibly cool is this party! And who could forget the time when we were really little girls, we dressed up in my moms lingire and high heels and pushed baby doll strollers up and down Colfax Ave (I’m on a mission to find those pictures!) When I moved to Madison in 3rd grade, I was mostly worried about missing my friends, especially you, Leah, and Kaitlin! Of course we stayed in touch and you would travel to Madison to spend a week with me, attend my birthday party’s since my birthday is in July, and go to camp. We went to Hoofbeat Ridge one year and we both fell in love with the big brown horse Bay Boy, I’ll never forget how we would race to see who would get to him first. One year you and Leah came down for the summer and we went to the Humane Society camp, we loved animals! My last sleepover with you was at your new house, we were a little older and when everyone fell asleep you convinced me to pierce your nose (we were definitely rule breakers at times!) The next morning we were a little nervous about how your parents would react, your mom didn’t believe us at first but when she looked I just remember her saying “Brianna!” She was so calm about the situation and we were both pleasantly surprised.  

Brianna, you made my childhood unforgettable and fun, I could not have asked for a better friend. As I raise my three little children, my hope for them is  that they too will find their “Brianna” to make lifelong memories with. I am so thankful and blessed to have known you for so many years and I will forever cherish the friendship we shared. Your physical presence on this earth will be greatly missed.

When Brianna was on vacation with us she became ill and we had to have her hospitalized in La Junta, Colorado while they did some tests. Our niece had just gotten a little pug and since Brianna loved dogs, we snuck the dog into the hospital to visit Brianna- the perfect medicine which helped lift her spirits.

One of my favorite memories of Brianna was when Leah and Brianna were going to their first Homecoming dance. Brianna came over to get ready and brought her skirt that she had purchased at Goodwill or Arc. She wanted Leah to color it. So Leah drew on the skirt  and filled in the design with colored markers.  (I have to admit it did brighten up the skirt). Brianna thought it was perfect. It is a fun memory because it reminds me of Brianna's playfulness, her creative nature, and her trust in her friend to make the skirt unique.

As I will miss the Memorial for Bri here in Mpls, I want to thank the people who set this site up. I last saw Bri at our home News Years day 2018. I am so thankful to have had her with us. 

So many beautiful pictures of Bri with family and friends. I can't stop looking at the pictures. 

So many memories of Cousins by Love

Bri you will be forever in my heart.

I find this poem by Rabindranath Tagore brings me some comfort through its beauty. I hope it can do so for Bri’s family and friends who are missing her dearly.

Peace, my heart, let the time for

      the parting be sweet.

Let it not be a death but completeness.

Let love melt into memory and pain

       into songs.

Let the flight through the sky end

       in the folding of the wings over the nest.

Let the last touch of your hands be

      gentle like the flower of the night.

Stand still, O Beautiful End, for a

moment, and say your last words in 

                       silence.

I bow to you and hold up my lamp

     to light you on your way

I am so heavy with grief to hear of Brianna’s passing. Brianna was my partner on our volunteer trip to Paraguay with Amigos de las Americas in 2006. For two very long months we shared a host family, a room, a mission, and a friendship. We did everything together from sorting bricks for latrines, failing to adequately learn Guarani, sneaking past the village boundaries to email our friends at Internet cafes, gorging ourselves on hidden cookies and peanut butter, and laughing at the absurdity of our attempts at cultural integration. She was my rock that summer. Her cool and quiet confidence pulled me through, not to mention her vastly superior Spanish speaking skills. We were each other’s confidants and our only reminders of American comforts. Even though I was ahead in school by a year, something that felt so significant at the time, Brianna was the leader and took charge with ease and grace. We had endless time to talk and walk and reflect on life. Even now, twelve years later, I still think back on those conversations and hold dear Brianna’s insights and stories. She let me in on her life, family, best friends, and budding romances.  She weaved these stories in such a way that I felt I knew everyone waiting for her. I remember Brianna receiving tons of letters and care packages, further demonstrating just how loved and missed she was by those back home. 

That was a summer that has impacted my life so profoundly, largely because of my luck in being partnered with Brianna. She was wise beyond her years and a true friend to me. I wish we had kept in touch better since. We were the only ones to experience that trip together, and part of those experiences are put to rest with Brianna. We got to meet up once four years after our trip when she happened to stop in Chicago, and I cherish that memory even more now than ever before. I wish I could go back there again, just one last time.

Brianna was on such an exciting path in life, I watched from a far distance as she journeyed through different adventures. It was clear that she was living an enriching and fulfilling life. I know she was a beloved friend, forging friendships wherever she ventured. I loved to peek on her facebook and keep tabs on what she’d been up to, from her new styles to the fierceness of her roller derby league. I’ve always admired Brianna for her daring attitude and fearlessness to take on adventure. Her life was truly well lived, and she is an inspiration to me as I look to the future, while also remaining so grateful for the way in which she touched my life. Rest In Peace, Brianna, it was an honor to know and love you.

My deepest condolences to all of Brianna’s family and friends