A few days ago, our friend Charlie Capalbo lost his 4th battle with cancer. You are never prepared for losing a loved one. But it’s only made more devastating when that loved one is only 23 years old.

Since Charlie has passed I have listened back to my Podcast interview with him several times, mostly to hear his voice again. But I also loved hearing all his lessons he dropped in that interview. It got me thinking more about his legacy and how much he has taught all of us. The things that I keep coming back to are always being positive, cracking jokes, laughing, and how important it is to smile. Charlie’s smile certainly lit up any room, and his smile made everyone happy. I keep thinking about living and loving as Charlie did. I will be forever grateful that I had the honor of knowing him and calling him a friend.

Thank you to my girl Susie Richards for introducing us a few years ago. She said, “we had to meet”. He honestly made everyone a better person just by being with him. He made such an impact on everyone who knew him.

Being with Charlie was like being in the sunshine. He made everything brighter and better. I am keeping his amazing parents, Jenny and Anthony, his best friend and brother Will, and his loving girlfriend Peyton in my thoughts every minute. They all have inspired me since the first day I met them.

We will be saying goodbye to Charlie next week, and I know we will all keep his spirit going forever. Going forward, I will be blaring his favorite Eminem songs as loud as I can and smiling at everyone as big as I can. I will cherish the last hug he gave me in February at his home in Fairfield, CT. His hugs were the best! We will miss him so much. We will be #CapalboStrong forever. We will live and love like Charlie. I can promise you that.

Fly high, Char.