Team Burke Larroque
My brother is, was, and always will be a Hero. When I was in high school, my class went on a retreat and we were each given a journal to write our reflections. One of the topics was “what is love?” I remember thinking it was such a vague question and wondered how to answer it truthfully. That’s when my brother, Burke, surfaced in my mind. I wrote and later spoke about how Burke is the definition of Love. He was 15 months older than me and assumed the role of a caretaker throughout my childhood. The way he cared for me, guarded me, looked after me as my big brother. How he tried to guide me through life’s trials, having just gone through them himself, and sometimes having no idea at all. The way he laughed with me and at me, cried with me and sometimes made me cry. That is love. He was honest to his core. That’s the Burke I know and continue to love. Burke had a hard time himself though he tried not to let it show. He was my guiding light growing up. We had a rough relationship because we challenged each other... from hypothetical ideas down to our core molecular structure. He was extremely intelligent. As sinister diseases took over his life, I still knew who my brother was. I loved him to the very end. And I reaaaaallly hope he knew that. Burke is my hero and he’s a hero to a whole lot of people who have never met his sweet heart.
— Justine Larroque
