Casey’s 32nd Birthday, Her Best Friend and a Joyous Pandemic Birthday

Casey’s 32nd Birthday, Her Best Friend and a Joyous Pandemic Birthday

Casey would have turned 32 years old on April 6th. Her best friend, Amber Staska, posted the following letter to Casey on Facebook reflecting on what would have been a joyous and positive pandemic birthday:

Dear Casey,

Today, best friend, you would have been 32 years old. You would have been one of those people celebrating a “pandemic birthday” complete with a homemade cake slapped together with whatever was left in the pantry, a virtual happy hour (I’m thinking cosmos as an ode to your affinity with the show Sex & the City) and even a “social distance” drive-by parade in your honor. OR maybe you would be on the front-line as a news anchor (your dream which I have no doubt you would have made true by now) reporting all of these events in real-time.

Regardless of who you would have been or where you would be at in the world today, just knowing you, it would have been the most epic pandemic birthday ever simply because you knew how to turn the most scary and uncertain moments into the most unforgettable and joyous moments. And because of that amazing attribute, no one would be thinking of the thousands dying or unemployed today.

If it isn’t obvious, I miss your light in this world. I know you’ve been watching from above and you can see how life has gotten a little crazy over the last 2 months. For example, I know you were giggling when my 3 year old screamed at me this morning “You’re not my mother, you’re BULLS*IT!” – her way of expressing her angst of not being able to play with friends or go about normal routines outside of this pandemic. If you were here, I would have proceeded to explain to you how she sternly calls me “mother” when she’s mad at me (you can thank the movie, Tangled, for that).

But despite the last day/week/month I have been having due to fear and frustration during this weird time in society; I am going to channel your positive attitude and spread it like wildfire. I think that’s the best birthday present I can give to you this year…and always.

I love you,

Amber

#BecauseofCasey #EndDD #caseyfeldmanfoundation

Casey and Amber, 2007

Dianne Anderson is the mother of the late Casey Feldman and co-founder of the The Casey Feldman Foundation and its sponsored project, EndDD.org.