Meet Esther,
Our first star.
TSWGO was established in memory of 16-year-old Esther Earl. Esther's online communities and causes met many of the social and emotional needs in her life, hampered as she was by her progressing thyroid cancer. Yet Esther lived life fully, getting involved in social justice issues, loving her friends, her family and cats, and always remembering to be awesome.
On August 25, 2010, much too soon, cancer silenced Esther and stilled her slender fingers. In 16 years she packed a lot of living and loving into her life, and loved well those who surrounded her. Esther didn't let her light stop shining—This Star Won’t Go Out continues to remind us of her love for others, and to inspire us to do the same.
Esther’s parents, Lori & Wayne Earl, started This Star Won’t Go Out in honor of Esther. Their goal was (and is) to help other families going through the same things that they experienced while caring for a child with cancer.
Esther became an
author posthumously.
A collection of Esther’s writings was published by Dutton on Jan. 28, 2014, and quickly rose to the New York Times Bestseller lists. It was also the Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir and Autobiography in 2014. Photographs and essays by family and friends help to tell Esther's story along with an introduction by award-winning author John Green.
