Julia Malsin, 13, loved sports, animals, school

Julia L. Malsin, 13, of Sherman, died Jan. 27, 2012, at Children's Hospital Boston after a year-long battle against Aplastic Anemia (bone marrow failure).

She was born Nov. 7, 1998 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the daughter of Michael and Heather Malsin and sister of Alyssa Malsin.

Athletically, Julia excelled in ice hockey, soccer, waterskiing and snow skiing. She was elected captain of her ice hockey team for two seasons.

Academically, Julia participated in the LEAP program at her school and was an honor student.

Creatively, she loved writing, photography, and painting.

While Julia's time on earth was cut short, her impact on people was nothing short of profound.

Julia always had great concern for her family and others, always putting their needs before her own.

The depth of her intellectual curiosity became even more evident during the last year of her life as she quizzed doctors and surfed the internet to understand every aspect of what was happening with and how she was being treated for her condition.

The depth of her character, her display of bravery and her generous and resilient spirit were further revealed over the last year through the pages of her Caring Bridge Web Site at www.caringbridge.org\visit\juliamalsin.

In addition to her parents and sister, Julia is survived by her grandparents, Montford and Doris Clark, of Sherman, and Art and Sue Malsin, of Easton, Md.; her great-grandmother, Dorothy Clark, of Sherman; an aunt, Kim Glynn of Malvern, Pa.; an uncle, Russell Clark, of Washington, DC; her golden retriever, Kovy; and her cats, Bella and Bailey.

A memorial service was held at the Sherman Congregational Church and a remembrance gathering at Candlelight Farms Feb. 4.

Memorials may be made to the Julia Malsin Medical Fund, 8 Wakeman Hill Road, Sherman, CT 06784. A percentage of the fund will be donated to the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation.