Esther Earl
| Esther Earl | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Esther Grace Earl August 3, 1994 Beverly, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | August 25, 2010 (aged 16) Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Cause of death | Thyroid cancer |
| Resting place | Oakland Cemetery, Medway, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Nerdfighter, online personality, author, internet vlogger |
| Notable work | This Star Won't Go Out (foundation; book) |
| Home town | Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Parent(s) | Wayne and Lori Earl |
Esther Grace Earl (August 3, 1994 – August 25, 2010) was an American author, internet vlogger, online personality and a Nerdfighter, as well as an activist in the Harry Potter Alliance. Prior to her death from cancer in 2010, Earl became friends with author John Green, who credited her for inspiring him to complete the novel that became 2012 bestseller The Fault in Our Stars. In 2014, Earl's writings were compiled and released as the book This Star Won't Go Out, which appeared in 2014 on the New York Times bestseller list for young adult books.
Earl was born in Beverly, Massachusetts to Wayne and Lori (née Krake) Earl, one of five siblings. The Earls, whom The Boston Globe characterizes as "self-described wanderers", moved between Saudi Arabia, Massachusetts, and France. While in Massachusetts, she originally resided in Medway before moving with her family to North Quincy and attending North Quincy High School.
At the age of 12, in November 2006, in Marseille, Esther was diagnosed with metastasized papillary thyroid cancer. The following Thanksgiving, in 2007, when Esther's parents sought a second opinion at Boston Children's Hospital, Esther's team of doctors informed her and her parents that her cancer was terminal.
2007 also marked when John Green became aware of Earl, who Margaret Talbot of The New Yorker states, "was one of the earliest nerdfighters." Originally the two maintained an online friendship. Earl would continue to develop her friendship with Green, upon meeting him at LeakyCon 2009, a Harry Potter conference. Her friendship with Green was due to her self-identification as a Nerdfighter, a member of Nerdfighteria, an online community of fans of the VlogBrothers. Following the conference, she would continue being involved with the Nerdfighter community. This included her involvement with the Harry Potter Alliance and their winning of a $250,000 grant, after Green encouraged voters to vote "with Esther" for the HPA.
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