Note from the Editor: Knightnews.com was sent this article by Catherine Bruno, Ann Hefferin’s best friend and roommate during the time of her death. With the 2011-2012 academic school year coming to a close, Catherine told us she wanted to share her perspective of the tragic night, and shed light on the situation to show what kind of person Ann was.

Ann Hefferin, My Roommate and Friend

By: Catherine Bruno

As the academic year comes to a close, I see it fitting to write a tribute to my dear friend and roommate Ann Hefferin.

I met Ann during our freshman year of high school. We became fast friends and were together all the time. Our high school boyfriends were best friends too and the four of us spent countless hours together.

Ann and I shared very similar morals and values. We never got into arguments and were always on the same page. Although we spent most of our time together, we never ran out of things to talk about, in fact it seemed like there wasn’t enough time in a day to talk.

The friendship we had didn’t stop after senior year; we decided to go to UCF and room together. We put down our housing money before most of our classmates had even decided which school they were attending.The thought of living together, being on our own, and starting college together was something we couldn’t wait to start.

After attending Summer B at UCF together, we moved in early to our dorm in Lake Claire. We went on the LEAD Scholar’s REEL Retreat the week before school started. Once school began on Monday it felt surreal living together. We shopped for our bathroom and room accessories months in advance and finally, we were all settled in our new place. Ann and I bought our books for the semester, went grocery shopping, and had mapped out our agendas for the week by that first Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday August 24th, Ann decided to go out to a party with Delta Delta Delta at the Sigma Chi house.

When Ann came home she mentioned that she had a few drinks, which was a first for her, but she was fine. I was anxious to hear about her night and asked her all about it. She took out the trash in the kitchen, ate a little snack, and then got ready for bed. We talked for a while before saying good night to each other around 12:30am.

The early morning, which is forever etched into my memory, began at 3:14am. I was woken by pounding on my door and at first I was so disoriented I didn’t know where it was coming from. Finally I shouted: “Who is it??” Ann replied: “Catherine it’s Ann I need help.”

When I came out of my room I found a sick and exhausted Ann. She kept telling me that she was really sorry and that she didn’t know what was wrong.

Ann’s symptoms escalated from a stomach ache to chest pains and at 3:53am I called 911 for help. By that point, Ann had stopped breathing and the voice on the other end of the line gave me instructions to perform CPR. The rescue team and I were able to get Ann’s heart beating again. However, once she was transported to the hospital, her heart stopped a final time and the emergency team couldn’t revive her.

The long awaited autopsy results did very little to ease our sorrow. The final verdict was Group B Streptococcus, a bacterial infection that entered Ann’s blood stream and caused her organs to shut down. any questions were left unanswered due to lack of medical research which added to our heartache.

Ann’s passing left a giant hole in my heart, and as President Hitt said at the Eternal Knights Memorial Service: “It will never be filled.”

With every day that passes I wish Ann were right here with me. I lost my roommate, my classmate, and most importantly my best friend. There is an emptiness that rests inside of me that will never go away. I cherish all of the memories we made together and look at pictures of the two of us to keep me going. Words can’t describe my sadness and I long for the day when we will be reunited in heaven.

Ann’s passing has taught me to be thankful for my life and not to sweat the small stuff. I live by the words of her favorite Bible verse: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” – Philippians 4:13

I’m extremely grateful for my family and friends, the Hefferin family, the Bishop Moore High School community, and the UCF community. Without your love and support I would not have been able to complete this academic year. Thank you and remember Ann. She was a beautiful person inside and out. Her spirit will forever live on in those who knew and loved her.