Heart transplant recipient fought against all odds while being guided by love, kindness and creativity
Emma Lara Nilan, age 38, beloved daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, author and artist, pass ed away on April 4, 2023, surrounded by her parents, Kathy Lara and Clem Nilan, her sister Molly Nilan and dearest friend, Jessica Bridge. Emma’s strength, resilience, compassion, loyalty, humor, grace and beauty are immeasurable. The heart is the universal symbol of love. She had three: her birth heart and two more via transplants. She displayed an incredible ability to listen without judgment, without planning her response and with a full and loving presence. She was steadfast in her resolve to fight against all odds and to squeeze more years, months, weeks, days and minutes out of this life than any of us could have predicted. We wished for a million more. She was always able to see the good in people under the most trying circumstances. She demonstrated laughter through tears, found humor in the everyday and true joy. Most of all, Emma overflowed with love for her parents, family and friends. Emma was extraordinary, and all who knew her are forever blessed by her grace and memory. Emma’s north stars have always been love, kindness, creativity; finding awe in small things; the magic of her childhood, her family, pets and friends; the sharing of a good meal, art and music. In the last year of her life, Emma found great pride in training to be a recovery coach with the caring and generous community at The Turning Point. There, she built connections with others of like mind who were devoted to helping some of our community’s most vulnerable populations. Emma was surrounded and supported by a fellowship of humans where she learned to embrace the mantra to thine own self be true — and she lived it. Emma is survived by her parents, Kathy Lara and Clement Nilan, of Burlington, and her sister, Molly Nilan, of Shelburne, with her husband, Ben, and their two children Ella, 12, and Jacob, 9. She was celebrated by a large and loving extended family in Vermont, New York, New Jersey and Washington. Emma grew up in Burlington and Shelburne with her sister and cousins, especially Chloe, Vanessa and Charlotte, and her dearly loved Aunt Janice and Uncle Ken. She was deeply connected to her closest friends, Jessica Bridge, Naomi Krasnow, Ali Marchildon, Isabel Epstein Gentry, Eva Antczak and Emily Korkosz, to name just a few. They…
Heart transplant recipient fought against all odds while being guided by love, kindness and creativity
Emma Lara Nilan, age 38, beloved daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, author and artist, pass ed away on April 4, 2023, surrounded by her parents, Kathy Lara and Clem Nilan, her sister Molly Nilan and dearest friend, Jessica Bridge. Emma’s strength, resilience, compassion, loyalty, humor, grace and beauty are immeasurable. The heart is the universal symbol of love. She had three: her birth heart and two more via transplants. She displayed an incredible ability to listen without judgment, without planning her response and with a full and loving presence. She was steadfast in her resolve to fight against all odds and to squeeze more years, months, weeks, days and minutes out of this life than any of us could have predicted. We wished for a million more. She was always able to see the good in people under the most trying circumstances. She demonstrated laughter through tears, found humor in the everyday and true joy. Most of all, Emma overflowed with love for her parents, family and friends. Emma was extraordinary, and all who knew her are forever blessed by her grace and memory. Emma’s north stars have always been love, kindness, creativity; finding awe in small things; the magic of her childhood, her family, pets and friends; the sharing of a good meal, art and music. In the last year of her life, Emma found great pride in training to be a recovery coach with the caring and generous community at The Turning Point. There, she built connections with others of like mind who were devoted to helping some of our community’s most vulnerable populations. Emma was surrounded and supported by a fellowship of humans where she learned to embrace the mantra to thine own self be true — and she lived it. Emma is survived by her parents, Kathy Lara and Clement Nilan, of Burlington, and her sister, Molly Nilan, of Shelburne, with her husband, Ben, and their two children Ella, 12, and Jacob, 9. She was celebrated by a large and loving extended family in Vermont, New York, New Jersey and Washington. Emma grew up in Burlington and Shelburne with her sister and cousins, especially Chloe, Vanessa and Charlotte, and her dearly loved Aunt Janice and Uncle Ken. She was deeply connected to her closest friends, Jessica Bridge, Naomi Krasnow, Ali Marchildon, Isabel Epstein Gentry, Eva Antczak and Emily Korkosz, to name just a few. They…