Reading from Bill McGowan

I have been lucky to know Lauren since she was a baby and have been able to share many special experiences with her and her family.

The first one that stands out is a trip we took to Lake Mead. We spent a week on a house boat and it was my first time spending that kind of time with a baby. I didn't know what to expect. By the end of the trip I was singing and dancing all of the Wiggles songs with Lauren. She was a such a good baby on that trip. Always smiling, you couldn't help but fall in love with her. That week Lauren touched me in so many ways and strengthened my own desire to be a father.

Over the past six years I have been blessed to be able to share many more experiences like that with Lauren and I cherish them all.

I will miss her, and she will be missed by so many people.

As I was thinking of the right words to say to honor Lauren, I kept seeing her smile in my head and started to wonder why I was so lucky to always get to spend time with her when she was at her best and I realized, that's just Lauren - happy, smiling, just a good girl all the time and the courage that she has faced these last 2 years is nothing short of amazing.

Gordon and Hilary, I am so sorry for your loss, but you should know that through these past 2 years that you, lauren, and both of your families have shown so many an example of love, commitment, courage, and family that many people can only hope for and it is easy to see how a child raised in your family can be as wonderful as Lauren is.