Editor’s note: Bridget Thompson was a sorority sister and close friend of the four Pepperdine students who lost their lives in the Oct. 17, 2023 PCH crash. Since then, Thompson has been an advocate for increased PCH safety measures. The Graphic invited her to contribute the following piece.
It’s been a year without you and my heart still feels just as empty. The day I lost you, I lost four huge pieces of my heart. I lost my everything. Life without my best friends is a life without the brightest lights this world has ever seen. Life without Deslyn is a life without my confidence on the days I’m feeling insecure. Life without Asha is a life without peace on my hard days. Life without Niamh is a life without the shoulder I always cried on. Life without Peyton is a life without the person who always picked me up when I was down. Life without you is a life without the girls I turned to in every situation, good and bad. I miss all the perfect things you brought to this world. I miss waking up to your smiles every morning. I miss couch time. I miss your laughs, I miss your smiles, I miss your advice and when you told me exactly what I needed to hear. I miss everything that you four were. A year has gone by and I still can’t understand how you’re not here. Every day, I try to be a little more like you four were. I try to be loyal and confident like Deslyn. I try to be wise and gentle like Asha. I try to be joyful and kind like Niamh. I try to be driven and selfless like Peyton. I try to be exactly who you were — because the world needs you. The world needs Deslyn Williams, Asha Weir, Niamh Rolston and Peyton Stewart.
Looking back at the amazing years I spent with you it’s hard not to cry, but it’s even harder not to smile. The memories we made will last a lifetime. I will hold on to them until I don’t have to anymore, until we meet again. I can’t believe I was lucky enough to wake up to your smiles every morning and go to bed to the sound of your goodnights every night. So although I may seem unlucky to have lost you, I’m so lucky — lucky to have known you and even more lucky to have been loved by you.
Deslyn, Asha, Niamh and Peyton, I miss you more than words can say. I will never figure out how to live a life without you. My heart is so broken but I’m still doing everything for you sweet girls. I hope I’m making you proud. I will never stop fighting for you, and I will never let you die in vain. The angels are so lucky to have you. I can’t wait to see you again. You are forever my everything, and I will always carry you with me wherever I go. I love you, with everything in me. The most perfect souls I’ve ever known, you’re so greatly missed.
