Remembering Newtown through Noah

Almost a month ago, this entire nation was hit hard by the Newtown school shootings. Among the dead were 20 first-graders, six staff members and the shooter's mother. The idea of so many innocent lives taken far too soon is devastating, and it hits me very hard. I'm not sure if it is because I've lost two friends who should have had many years left to live (my friend Scott passed away when he was 18 and my friend Marisa passed away nearly three months ago at age 22, but neither were murdered or died a violent death) or if it's just because I'm human, but I can't stop thinking about the innocent victims of this shooting.

On Twitter, I've seen a few people suggest a "One Name" initiative in which people try to remember the name of at least one victim for the rest of their life. Too many people remember the shooter's name in these type of tragedies while the victims' names end up forgotten.

So, as my New Year's resolution, I decided to join in on remembering one name of a victim. The victim I chose is six-year-old Noah Pozner.

Photo from www.farine-mc.com

Noah Samuel Pozner was the youngest victim of the shootings. He celebrated his sixth birthday on Nov. 20, just 24 days before he was murdered. Noah was shot 11 times, and according to gruesome details from The Jewish Daily Forward, Noah's mouth and left hand were completely destroyed by the gunfire.

But Noah was more than just a victim of a horrific crime, and it was because of his life and not the way that he died that I chose to remember Noah.

Noah has a twin sister whose name is Arielle, just like me. I have two older brothers (as mentioned frequently on this blog), and people have always thought my brother Ben and I are twins. We are two years apart, but I can see why people sometimes think we're twins.

When we were younger, we never allowed anyone to separate us. At day camp, we pretended to be the same age so we could be in the same camp groups, and in ski school, we did the same thing. To this day, Ben and I will do things people often attribute to some kind of twin ESP: we will show up somewhere without having seen each other beforehand wearing matching clothes (or the same color scheme). We order the same food at restaurants without talking to each other beforehand, text each other the same thing at the same time without knowing the other has sent the text message and so on. A few times, while we've been in different states, we've even gotten sick with the exact same illness at the exact same time. My parents call us "Frick and Frack". We don't know which one is which, so the nickname is more like a joint name for us.

Ben is one of my very best friends, and I can't imagine not having him around. By all accounts, Arielle and Noah were best friends just like Ben and I are. I talk to Ben every day, and I know no matter where we are, I can always call him about anything. A part of me hurts for Arielle Pozner knowing that she will no longer be able to have this type of relationship with her brother.

Based on the photos, Noah was a beautiful little boy with big, twinkling blue eyes and a cowlick on the right side of his forehead that seemed to represent his mischievous streak. Noah grew up in a big family. He had three older siblings aside from twin Arielle: Danielle, Michael and Sophia. By all accounts from his family, Noah was full of personality and love. According to his uncle, Noah was already a great reader, something in which I also excelled at a young age. Noah was a playful little boy who struggled to stay still and enjoyed pulling pranks. He had dreams of being all kinds of things when he grew up: a doctor, soldier or taco factory manager. According to his sister, Danielle, Noah could be quite stubborn, and he always marched to the beat of his own drum.

Noah's grandmother asked in a post to remember her grandson as an "impish little rascal", not a victim. So that is how I will remember Noah from now on -- as a little boy who loved life and crammed as much fun as he could into his short time here on this earth no matter the punishment. I'll remember him as a brother, a son, a nephew, a grandson, a cousin.

And I will remember his name. Always.

Noah Pozner. Forever six years old. 


If you wish to learn more about Noah, check out his grandmother's blog. Since he loved tacos, this website has been created where people can create tacos in memory of Noah. Lastly, if you wish to donate, the family has set up this website where you can make a contribution that will go toward counseling services, education and basic needs for Noah's four siblings.