Helping others wasn't something she did when it was easier or convenient; it was who she was all the way to the very end.”

Sawyer Nelson, Carrigan's brother

In the final weeks of her life, as her body weakened and her world narrowed, Carrigan Nelson remained focused on other people — on small acts of care, on unfinished kindnesses, on making sure no one else felt alone.

Her brother, Sawyer Nelson, offered one example.

“During Carrigan's final hospital admission, we were driving to the hospital together,” he said. “She was sitting in a passenger seat, wearing an oxygen mask, struggling to breathe. It was one of the hardest moments in my life, seeing my sister like that. And yet, even then, Carrigan took out her laptop. She opened it up and started working on care packages.”

This photo of Carrigan Nelson was used for the booklet handed to attendees of Sunday's celebration.

He let the image settle before continuing.

“Even as she was feeling her worst, and she had every reason to focus on herself, she was still thinking about other people,” he said. “Still thinking about how she could help, still choosing kindness. That was Carrigan. Helping others wasn't something she did when it was easier or convenient; it was who she was all the way to the very end.”

Sawyer was speaking Sunday afternoon at the Wyndham Newport Hotel in Middletown, where hundreds gathered for “A Gathering of Love,” a celebration of Carrigan’s life. The room filled quickly, with not enough tables to accommodate everyone, and people stood along the walls. Carrigan died on Christmas Day 2025 after a seven-year battle with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. She was 24.

The program opened with video. In one clip, Carrigan stood on the field at Fenway Park in 2021, singing the national anthem. In another, she sang “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus, her voice clear and unguarded. After the remembrance, music was performed by her friend and longtime musical partner Steve Rodrigues, joined by others.

‘Cancer did not have her’

Sawyer, “better known as Carrigan Nelson’s brother,” said while cancer shaped his sister’s life, it never claimed her spirit. “Carrigan often said that while she did have cancer, cancer did not have her,” he told the crowd. “She never allowed it to take her joy, her silliness, or her heart.”

Not many good things come from cancer, he said, but through Carrigan’s illness the Nelson family was “connected with some incredible people.” Her friends, he said, supported her until the final days of her life. “Our family will always be grateful for that.”

“She was never just one thing,” he said. “She was play, she was music, she was laughter, she was kindness exemplified.”

He recalled working his first job selling cell phones in Newport when two high school students came into the store and recognized him. “Wait, you’re Carrigan Nelson’s brother?” they asked. The students told him they felt like outcasts, invisible at school. But there was one person, they said, who always made them feel seen.

“That person was Carrigan,” he said.

When Carrigan encountered someone who was clearly having a bad day, he said, she treated it as a personal challenge. “She would compliment them on their jewelry, their clothing — anything she could use to make a connection.”

That instinct carried through her illness. She used her experience, he said, to help others, to comfort people who were scared, and to make those around her feel less alone. “Carrigan made it her mission to prove to others that you can still have a meaningful and fulfilling life even while battling cancer.”

A video of Carrigan Nelson singing plays as family, friends and loved ones look on.

Jim McGaw

Loved making care packages

Much of that mission found a focus in Strong Little Souls, a nonprofit started by Madison Quinn that provides care packages to teens and young adults facing a cancer diagnosis. Carrigan became friends with Quinn after connecting through social media, and later joined the organization’s board.

“She poured so much care into every detail,” Sawyer said. “It brought her genuine joy knowing that something she helped create could make someone else feel less alone.”

In 2025, Quinn said, Carrigan set a goal of delivering 25 care packages. She sent more than 50, taking time to learn about each recipient and tailor every box. 

“Carrigan didn't just make people feel comfortable,” Sawyer said. “She made them feel important.”

Others echoed that sentiment. 

“You could live to be 100 and not accomplish as much as she did,” said David Cicilline, president of the Rhode Island Foundation and a former congressman, as he was leaving the gathering. Carrigan once joined Cicilline for a State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol. 

Chris Carceller, a friend more than three decades older than Carrigan, described meeting her during a period of grief after her mother’s death. Carrigan, she said, brought light back into her life.

“Everyone calls Carrigan their best friend, and that is one of the greatest compliments a person can ever receive in life,” she said. “That was her gift. She made people feel chosen, seen, connected.”

Carceller spoke of a four-day camping trip with the family to Hampton Beach the previous summer — carrying Carrigan’s hammock down to the sand so her day could unfold the way she wanted it to. There was also bonfires, music, fried dough, ice cream, and watching a seal swim past the shore.

Town honors her

The week before Sunday’s gathering, the Portsmouth Town Council formally honored Carrigan’s life and re-proclaimed Feb. 8 — her birthday — as Carrigan Nelson Day, also known as Cancer Warrior Day. (The Sakonnet River Bridge will be lit up in honor of the day this Sunday.)

Council President Keith Hamilton said Carrigan “embodies the spirit of courage and strength,” noting that she continued to advocate for research and donation even at the end of her life.

“What she accomplished in her brief 25 years on this planet,” Hamilton said, “I don’t know of any of us who have accomplished more.”

Carrigan’s partner and lifelong friend, Aidan McDonald, thanked the town and surrounding communities for their support. “We will continue her legacy through advocacy and charitable efforts that were near and dear to her,” he said.

A board at the entrance to the gathering displayed photos of Carrigan throughout her life.

Jim McGaw

Near the close of the program on Sunday, Sawyer Nelson returned to the idea that had framed the afternoon.

“Carrigan’s life reminds us that kindness doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful,” he said. “Sometimes it's sitting with someone who feels alone … Sometimes it’s the care package full of love, sent to someone who needs to be reminded that they matter.”

Then he added, “Carrigan showed that no matter what you're feeling, there is always time to care for others.”