Holly Chunmei Bergstrom’s life has been explained through quiet perseverance in the face of challenges.
Adopted from China as a child through Nancy and Gary Bergstrom, Holly grew up with developmental issues, along with cognitive impairment and a severe anxiety disorder.
On the evening of Aug. 3, the life of a 25-year-old Eden Prairie woman took a tragic turn when she hit a Honda CRV after exiting a stopped car in the northbound left turn lane of Flying Cloud Drive at the intersection. with Anderson Lakes Parkway.
Although Holly survived the initial impact, she succumbed the next day at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis.
Holly’s story is told by her mother to highlight the difficult situations her daughter faced and to emphasize that the driver of the Honda CRV, a 17-year-old from Shakopee, is not to blame.
Nancy explained that Holly’s cognitive decline prevented her from fully understanding the conditions or assessing the risk as it should be.
“His anxiety disorder also played a role, given the confluence of cases that occurred on Saturday night,” he said.
Holly spent her last day with her friend, Camryn Masse, whom she had known since they were little and whom she had followed from the same orphanage in Anhui province, China.
The two, inseparable since childhood, their day at 9:30 a. m. m. with coffee, attended a puppy meet at PetSmart, visited the beach at Riley Lake Park, watched the Olympics and had dinner at Culver’s.
Their bond was forged in China, where they first met as part of a small children’s organization and then through families traveling together to meet their new children. “They were two of the four children in her adoption organization,” Nancy recalls. Camryn’s family moved to Eden Prairie and they both attended the same elementary school. “Holly and Camryn have been together their whole lives: two peas in a pod,” Nancy said.
As the evening approached, Holly’s anxiety began to grow, compounded by the task of walking her family’s dog, a task her parents had asked her to do while attending a Minnesota Twins game.
“I enjoyed people so much that I hated saying no, even to friends like Camryn, even if I was tired,” Nancy said. “She was very sensitive to how other people perceived her and had thin skin. If someone walked away from her or didn’t respond to a text or message right away, it affected her deeply. “
Holly, sitting in the back seat while Camryn and her boyfriend were in the front, was very worried about getting home while they waited at the left turn onto Flying Cloud Drive. A police car, with sirens activated, reactivated the calm of traffic, leaving them trapped in calm longer than usual.
“While they were sitting at the left-turn traffic light, she didn’t need to bother Camryn to go back and get the pieces Holly had left at her house,” Nancy believes. “So all of this led her to make a sudden decision: She said to herself, ‘I’m not far from home, so I’m just going to get out of the car, run home and walk the dog. ‘”
Camryn and her boyfriend tried to close the windows and stop her, but “it all happened in a moment: she just ran,” Nancy said.
Nancy believes Holly, who was not driving, was disoriented and ran away from her home, in all likelihood over her location. She believes Holly saw the crosswalk and assumed she could just use it, not knowing she was in the middle of a road with traffic on Flying Cloud Drive on green light.
“He ran out and came across a moving car,” Nancy said. “It wasn’t the driver’s fault at all, it can happen to anyone. You drive perfectly and suddenly some unforeseen thing happens in front of you and you can’t avoid it in time. She just didn’t stand a chance.
Holly seriously injured. ” They were fair with us (Hennepin Healthcare) from the starting and told us that this a serious brain injury that unlikely to recover,” Nancy said.
Despite her challenges, Holly discovered joy in artistic interests and close connections with those around her. She enjoyed undeniable pleasures like browsing social media, gambling on Minecraft in survival mode, and watching romantic and horror movies.
Holly’s love for animals, especially cats, is another pillar of her life. “Our pets were very expensive to her and she liked cats — her room was full of cat-themed ornaments and trinkets,” Nancy said. “Every time I saw a random cat in public, I almost screamed with joy. “
Her mother also shared that Holly was very visual. He had a keen eye for certain types of photographs: anything original, artistic, or brilliant caught his eye.
“During the holidays, I would take pictures, but not the typical old sites,” Nancy said. “For example, when we visited Washington, D. C. , I wasn’t interested in taking pictures of the Lincoln Memorial or the Capitol. Instead, she would do it in anything like cool mosaic art that caught her eye.
After graduating from Eden Prairie High School in 2017, Holly participated in the TASSEL program, designed for adults with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 21.
“This program allowed her to explore activities without the same educational pressures as always, which helped her find her calling,” Nancy said. Holly excelled as a greeting card maker, one of the activities on offer.
Nancy also reflected on how Holly’s cognitive decline has had a profound effect on her life. She and her husband were Holly’s primary caregivers, managing her needs such as food, transportation, appointments, medications, and finances throughout her life.
“We’ve been asked if he has autism, but he’s not,” Nancy said. “Instead, she had to deal with demanding situations that, in many tactics, impacted her life in ways similar to autism, such as not being able to live independently. or helping themselves and needing help with daily tasks. It is vital to perceive this scenario as a whole.
Yet, Holly had an independent spirit and was often frustrated by her disabilities. “She wished she didn’t have them and often lamented that fact, which led her to try to assert her independence in various ways,” Nancy said.
Holly, however, is making wonderful progress. She thrived in her assignment as a kitchen assistant at Nothing Bundt Cakes.
“She couldn’t do retail, like serving consumers and handling money, but she thrived as a kitchen assistant,” Nancy said. “They enjoyed it there. Despite all of her challenges, she had a strong painting ethic.
Nancy credits Camryn with encouraging Holly to try new things, such as rock climbing in Vertical Endeavors, something her mother would never have expected her to do. In addition to her other challenges, Nancy said Holly had sensory issues, a small zone of convenience, and struggled with an eating disorder called ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).
“She’s a very tolerant girl, very greedy and charming,” Nancy said. “Since my husband and I were so vital to her, she was very concerned about our age. My husband is 67 and I’ll soon be 67, and she’s asking us what she’s going to do when we’re too old to take care of her. Now, this is a debatable point.
Holly’s most productive friend, Camryn, shared her deep loss, saying, “She was the kindest young woman and never said a bad word. Holly has been my most productive friend, my “sister” since day one. Thank you for all the laughter and memories of laughter.
In a heartfelt Facebook post shortly after Holly’s death, Camryn wrote: “I lost my most productive friend tonight after she was hit by a car and sustained serious injuries all over her body last night. I am very lucky to have had a full day of laughter from 9:30 a. m. to 10:30 p. m. m. to 8:15 p. m. m. As usual, we were joined at the hip with her and some called us Thing 1 and Thing 2. I am so grateful and revered that she allowed me to spend the entire day with her and be the last user to hug her before she does. Do not get into the ambulance. Training”
Holly’s memorial service was held Friday morning at Redeemer Bible Church in Minnetonka, a place where she had recently discovered solace despite her social anxiety.
“For a long time, he didn’t attend church because of his social anxiety, but two years later he came with us,” Nancy said. “It’s become vital enough for her that she can beat that anxiety. “
Holly is survived by herself and her sister Abthrough.
“We get a lot from our church, as well as our family, friends and neighbors,” Nancy said. “Our ideals play a vital role in how we see the big picture. “
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