J.K. Rowling Writes Letter as Dumbledore to 15-Year-Old Texas Shooting Survivor
Cassidy Stay, the 15-year-old lone survivor of a tragic shooting that left her family dead, has received a personal letter of encouragement from one of her favorite literary characters.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has sent a handwritten letter of comfort and support to Stay; however, she did so as Albus Dumbledore, the iconic headmaster of Hogwarts in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's a beautiful sentiment that, unfortunately, came about through the absolute worst of circumstances.
In early July, Stay's former uncle shot her in the head and left her for dead after murdering her parents and four siblings in cold blood. Stay played dead in order to survive, and has shown remarkable strength and resiliency ever since.
Three days after the shooting, at a memorial for her family, she offered up a quote by Dumbledore from Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban that suggests she intends not to allow the shooting to ruin her life: "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
In the wake of her speech, a Facebook page was set up to get Rowling to meet Stay, with over 5,000 people liking the page. Rowling herself was informed about the page, and she sprang into action by writing a letter to Stay, adopting the point of view of Dumbledore. Frankly, one could argue the letter is better than actually meeting Rowling.
A spokesperson for Rowling told the Houston Chronicle: "We can confirm that J.K. Rowling did indeed send a personalized letter to Cassidy Stay. The contents of the letter and how it came about are private and between her and Cassidy."
This is pretty awesome of Rowling, if you ask me. It's such a unique way to reach out to someone in pain, who's been through an unthinkable hardship.
If you would like to donate to Cassidy Stay during this unspeakably tragic time, there is currently a Go Fund Me page in her name. The page has already raised close to $400,000 for Stay, but you can still contribute HERE.
Via: E! Online
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures