Charlotte Agostino was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2019 when she was just 16 years old. She tragically passed away on the morning April 5th 2021, but before she passed, she secretly arranged to have her fingerprint made into a necklace as a surprise for her sister Sophie. We were so touched by the love Charlotte and Sophie shared and that we were able to capture a little piece of Charlotte for Sophie to keep forever.
Who’s fingerprints are on your piece?
I have my younger sister Charlotte’s fingerprint on my necklace.
Can you tell us a little bit about Charlotte and her story?
My dear sister Charlotte was a blue-eyed bombshell with a heart of gold. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (a form of bone cancer most common in young teens) in 2019 at the age of 16, and over the course of 18 months had to undergo limb salvage surgery, months and months of chemotherapy, more surgeries, immunotherapy, radiation, procedures, and too many CT scans / X-rays to count. Charlotte was the firecracker of our family, and we all adored her. She was the sassiest person you would ever meet, and her witty comments would keep you humble but also make you laugh until you had tears. Even on her darker days, you would still want to be around her, because she had the kind of smile that they use in tv commercials, the kind that even if you were in the worst mood, you’d find yourself smiling back. She lit up the room with her laugh, and I will never forget her bright blue eyes. Sadly Charlotte passed away on the morning of April 5th 2021, she was surrounded by our family, and we were constantly telling her how much we loved her and how happy she all made us. Some of her final words were that she loved us all so much, and that just shows deep down, the amazing person that she was.
Why is this piece so special to you?
This piece is worth more to me than anything else I own. It is worth as much as my sister meant and still means to me, which you cannot put a value on. I would’ve gone to the ends of the earth for Charlotte, and to know that in her final weeks, she was thinking of me, and wanted to give me something special, I just cannot comprehend the strength it would have taken to do this. I have never met anyone as brave as her, and I don’t think that I ever will. I will wear this necklace every single day, and I have a piece of her with me forever. I am so grateful that she made this for me, and I am so lucky to have had a sister, and forever best friend that was and still is as special as her.
Are there any organisations you would like to share with the Linden Cook community to help raise awareness?
Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Research Foundation Association Inc: Dedicated to the study of Musculoskeletal Cancer
https://sarcomabonecancer.org/contact/
The odds Charlotte faced were a 27% chance of surviving 5 years, and this is not good enough, the treatments need to improve and we need to get that survival rate higher. It is incredibly unfair, but we can help to make a difference by donating to the Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Research Foundation Association Inc. I don’t want anyone to go through what Charlotte went through or what my family went through and are still going through.
I also have a place in my heart for the Childhood Cancer Association: https://childhoodcancer.asn.au/
As cruel as osteosarcoma is, and was to my dear sister, no child should have to lose their childhood, or their lives to any type of cancer. The Childhood Cancer team was so helpful and supportive to my family, and I wear their gold laces for every single one of my netball games, and will wear them for the rest of my life.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share a small part of Charlotte’s story. She was a beautiful girl, and her life was taken too soon.
I will miss her every day, but will love her forever, and I am so so lucky to have her sweet little fingerprint with me wherever I go.