This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, Holly Renae Proffitt, who was born in Johnson City, Tennessee, on October 03, 1979. We will remember and love her forever. Holly thoroughly enjoyed life and being with family and friends. She loved playing basketball and had just completed her junior year of varsity basketball at Daniel Boone High School when she had an automobile accident on March 11, 1996, at the age of 16. Holly suffered severe head trauma, and was hospitalized for nine months. She underwent many surgeries, over six years of rehab, therapies, and continued rehabilitation at Crumley House Head Injury Rehab. On October 12, 2002 she had very severe seizures, which led to her death on October 21, 2002 at the age of 23. She left behind family and friends that love her and miss her so much. She is a true inspiration of courage, strength, and determination.  WE LOVE YOU HOLLY!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you very much for visiting Holly's Memorial web site. It has helped our hearts tremendously to be able to do this for Holly. She was such a special young lady and loved beingwith people. She enjoyed life to the max. Please take a moment and lite Holly a memorial candle or feel free to leave a tribute. There has been much time and love put into making this site for our angel. Holly's Aunt Sandy spends endless hours scrapbooking her pictures to put on her site. I can't thank her enough for all the love she has shown her niece and namesake.

Don't think of her as gone away
Her Journeys just begun,
life holds so many facets,
this earth is only one.
Just think of her as resting
from the sorrows and the tears,
in a place of warmth and comfort,
where there are no days or years.
Think how she must be wishing
that we could know today
how nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.
And think of her as living
in the hearts of those she touched,
for nothing loved is ever lost-
and she was LOVED SO MUCH.
author unknown

Holly is an inspiration for so many. She showed so much courage and determination during her rehabilitation. She suffered an injury that changed her entire way of life- yet never complained. She just perservered. She never gave up in spirit, only her body finally gave in

This was the last picture taken of Holly before her accident. It was taken on Sunday, March 10, 1996, as she walked up our drive way. She was drinking her apple juice that she loved so much. I never dreamed that this would be the last healthy day of her life.

Holly proudly wore the #30 uniform for the
Daniel Boone Lady Blazers from 1994-1996.
She was selected as one of the team
MVP's her Junior year.
Her fellow teammates dedicated the 1997
season and State Tournament
to Holly and wore #30 wristbands the entire season in her honor.

I think of Holly each time I see Pooh. She always liked him and collected many Pooh items throughout the years.  Pooh Bear rests in her arms now, and one sat atop her casket during her service.

Holly is my oldest child.  I do not refer to her in the past tense as she is and always will be part of my life.  When someone asks me how many children I have, I still reply that I have four.  Holly did every thing early.  She walked early, talked early, and was just so eager to take in everything around her.  Maybe she knew her years on earth were going to be few.  She gave her entire family such indescribable  joy and always helped take care of her little sister and brothers.  They in turn helped care for her after her accident. Holly excelled as a student and as an athlete, and had so many friends.  Her fellow students held a 72 hour prayer vigil for her after her accident and continued to support her in so many ways.  we will be forever grateful for their love and support.

Holly's friend and teammate showing her support after her accident.

This teardrop stands for all the tearswe've shed since you've been gone, The cross portrays our faith that God will help us carry on, The heart portrays the love you shared with family and friends, And we will hold you in our hearts with love that never ends.

3, 1979

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.

Author Unknown

One of our family dogs is a black Miniature Schnauzer
named Molly, who Holly affectionately called "Moo Moo."
Molly has always been special to us because she
was born on October 21, 2000, the same day that
my Grandmother had passed away in 1995.
It also turned out to be the same day that Holly
passed away in 2002.  I believe that was my
Grandmother's way of letting me know that
Holly was safe and well with her forever.


Christmas of 2002 was very hard for our family.  It was our
 first Christmas without dear Holly.  We did not celebrate much, but did manage to exchange some gifts. That afternoon I was watching a television show on Animal Planet called Dogs With Jobs.  There was a little westie on the show named Harvey.  His job was to sit with elderly patients in nursing homes and he was a great source of comfort to the elderly who often had no other visitors.  I was overwhelmed with the thought that I had to have a westie.  We already had five dogs, so we absolutely did not need another dog.  The next day I spent the entire morning trying to find a breeder of westies in my area.  I finally found one in Hickory, North Carolina.  Holly's sister Jaime, her brother Aaron,  her brother-in-law Kirt, and I went to get our puppy.  We were told we could choose from three puppies.  They sat them on the floor, and we did not choose.  This puppy chose us.  She was so adorable.  We named her Gracie.  Holly had sang Amazing Grace in Church just two weeks before she passed away.  While paying for the puppy I learned that she was born on October 22, 2002,  just a few minutes after midnight.  Holly had passed away just a few hours before.   I have dreamed of Holly only a few times since she passed, but one included her holding Gracie as a puppy.  All of our pets are special, but we have two very special dogs in our home and in our hearts.



Holly and her Great Grandmother Nellie Adams.  Both
passed away on October 21, seven years apart.











Holly and her Mamaw Margaret


















 
Holly and her cousin Shelley




 
Holly and her sister Jaime
















When Holly was a little girl she found half a walnut
 shell.  She thought it was a pig's nose.  I shared this
 story with all the angel families while at our first
 gathering in Virginia Beach.  Nancy Davis made this
 for me when she returned home.  I just love it!!!!
  Thanks so much dear Nancy.
























































Holly and Sister Jaime

Sisters are tied together with Heartstrings
















March 11, 1996 started off as any normal school day.  Holly
told the family and her puppy goodbye and left for school.
She had completed drivers education at school and had been driving for about 4 months, and was a good driver, just an inexperienced one.  That was the last time any of us would see her as we had grown to know her.  I received a phone call at work informing me of Holly's accident, and was told it was very serious and that she was being air lifted to the hospital.  I raced to the emergency room while my fellow workers called other family members , and was met at the emergency room door by the hospital Chaplain.  I will never forget the feeling I had when I saw him as I immediately assumed Holly had already died.  I was later told that she was still alive, but not expected to live through the night.  I was allowed, along with my Mother, to stay in the PICU with her overnight since the situation was so grave.  Except for the trauma to her head, the only outward indication she had been in an accident were a few scratches on her left hand.
I later learned from the officer who worked the accident that she was traveling approximately 35-40 mph and had dropped her right wheels off the side of the road.  She then over-corrected, and ran the car off the left side of the road, down an embankment, and struck a tree.  The entire impact was to the left side of her head.  Holly was wearing her seatbelt, and the air bag deployed, but she still struck her head on the window frame of the car.
Against all odds, Holly pulled through the night, although the pressure from swelling in her brain continued to rise.  The next morning the Neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert Hines, told me that he expected Holly would pass away over the next 72 hours.  I can't remember much about those hours except just being there with Holly, talking to her, and encouraging her to live.  Her brain pressure rose alarmingly high many times.  I read her all the cards and notes her fellow students brought to the hospital.  Since she was in PICU, only her immediate family could visit.  Her Mamaw, Papaw, Aunt Sandy, Aunt Trina, David, her Dad, Uncle Jim and Uncle Rick and other family members all took turns to spend time with her. 
Once again, Holly fought and battled through the next 72 hours.  She endured many surgeries over the next two weeks; facial reconstruction, shunt placement to drain fluid from her ventricles, a gastric feeding tube placed in her stomach, and a dura repair to the lining of the brain because spinal fluid was leaking from her sinuses.  She overcame one setback after another.  I thank God that she was in a coma during all these procedures and did not suffer the intense pain she would have if she were conscious.
Holly stayed in a coma for over four months.  So many times I prayed that she would just wake up.  She gradually did, but we all soon realized we no longer had the Holly we were all used to.  We now had a very special Holly to care for.  My heart ached for her, as she was once a vivacious, energetic, athletic young lady and she could now not control most of her body functions, yet I was overjoyed that I still had her with me.      
Holly started rehab as an in-patient while still in the hospital, and finally came home for the first time on September 6, 1996.  It was a transition for us all, learning to care for her special needs, accomodating handicap equipment into our home, and organizing in-home care, therapies, and Doctor visits around our work schedules.  We had to continue to work to provide for the entire family.
For the next 6 1/2 years Holly remained in physical, speech, and occupational therapies.  She was hospitalized many more times, mostly to control seizures she had developed as a result of the brain trauma.  Her Neurologist had finally found a mixture of anti-convulsants that seemed to be working, although with many ill side effects.
Holly started attending the Crumley House Head Injury Rehab program in 2001, and was making so much progress in her life.  She had made a very special friend there, Alton Gernt.  We finally let her have her own apartment there on October 1, 2002, something she had wanted so badly.  I was reluctant to let her leave our daily care, but I am so glad I did....she was so happy!  For some unknown reason Holly had very severe seizures on the night of October 12, 2002, while visiting with her Grandmother.  Nothing out of the ordinary had happened in her day.  She was hospitalized again, where this time she was not able to battle through it.  She experienced multi-organ failure, DIC, and ultimately died from hypotensive shock, all brought about by the massive seizures.  She never regained consciousness after the seizures, and slipped away to heaven quietly with her family by her side.
I will never understand why my precious daughter had to struggle and battle back from such an injury, only to be struck down again.  I can only reason that God had some Higher purpose for her.  She touched so many lives her short time here on earth and is a true inspiration for so many.  When I feel like giving up, I just think of her.  She never gave up in spirit, only her body gave in.
I am grateful for the twenty three years He gave her to us.  I am honored and priviledged that God chose me to be her Mother.  She taught me more about love and life than I could ever have taught her.  She is my hero.  I will love her until my last breath....and then be with her again.















 












Meaning Of The Name Holly - "Holy One"

Origin and History

The holly is one of
 the most popular 
Christmas evergreens. 
The holly tree was 
known to medieval
 monks as the "Holy Tree" 
because it was believed to keep evil spirits away.