“The Fault in Our Stars” and “This Star Won’t Go Out” Connection: Hazel Grace and Esther Grace

On June 6, 2014, Time.com released an article about the most obsessed country with “The Fault in Our Stars” movie. And guess what! It appears to be the Philippines, followed by the US, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. To see the entire write up, please see:

You’ll Never Guess Which Country is the Most Obsessed with The Fault In Our Stars, http://time.com/2837917/the-fault-in-our-stars-country-tracker/

I must say that I am guilty. I am among those Filipinos who really got excited with its premiere. I am also one of all the movie goers who have watched it on its premiere date. I honestly controlled myself not to read the book before I watch it’s much awaited film, plainly just to avoid expectations and disappointments.

The Fault in Our Stars is a film adaptation of the best-selling book of John Green. The story is narrated by a sixteen-year-old cancer patient named Hazel Grace Lancaster (played by Shailene Woodley), who is forced by her parents to attend a support group, where she subsequently meets and falls in love with the seventeen-year-old Augustus Waters(Ansel Elgort), an ex-MVP basketball player .

Moreover, getting to know the story deeper, the little infinities the movie shared with me is nothing comparable to the life of Esther Earl, the real-life teen inspiration of John Green’s best-seller. Yes! You heard me right. Hazel Grace, the character we fell in love with in the movie and/or in the book has actually lived among us – Esther Earl.

Photo credits: ABC World News

Esther (Persian for “Star”) Grace was born on August 3, 1994 in Beverly, Massachusetts. She had 2 sisters and 2 brothers. In 2006, Esther was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in Marseille, France, with widespread tumors in her lungs. Esther patiently endured treatments, CT scans and MRI’s, x-rays, extensive medications, occasional stays in the hospital, and eventually experimental chemotherapy.

Esther Earl and John Green met during Harry Potter’s conference back in 2009. Esther supported John Green’s decision to write the book and the two remained friends until she passed away in 2010, after a four-year battle with thyroid cancer. During her short life, however, she inspired everyone with whom she came into contact with, including author John Green who dedicated his “The Fault in Our Stars” to her.

Earl gave a real face to cancer while she was alive. She experienced her fears and her pain very publicly, sharing them with the world on social media. She found new avenues for meaning through empowering herself in growing online friendships, creating videos and a cyber-presence as “crazycrayon” and “cookie4monster4.”

You can still visit her sites. This is one of her videos that will inspire you. Nothing more than Feelings; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa3XHeMtY3s

“I sometimes wish I’ve never gone through this and then I realize that if that happened I wouldn’t be who I am. And then I go all like, Oh! That’s just confusing. But sometimes I do wish that wouldn’t happen, the cancer thing….” – Esther

Her memories stays as her parents created a private non-profit organization- This Star Won’t Go Out that directly help families of children with cancer needing financial assistance through donations.

Moreover, her parents also published a book called “This Star Won’t Go Out: The Life & Words of Esther Grace Earl,” a collection of Esther’s drawings, notes and messages along with family stories. It’s an eye-opener that would help you appreciate life even more. John Green wrote the introduction. One letter in the book was written when she was 14 to her 17-year-old self. She had instructed her parents to read it if she died before she was able to open it.

This Star Won’t Go Out Book Cover

“If you haven’t done something amazing, don’t forget to try,” 14-year-old Esther tells her future self. “The worst that can happen is you fail, and then you can just try again until you succeed.”

You see, she got through a lot of things but she remained strong and brave as long as she can. She’s definitely a star that won’t let her light stop shining—This Star Won’t Go Out continues to remind us of her love for others.

You can learn more about her. Just visit This Star Won’t Go Out fanpage on Facebook.

Source: How Esther Earl, Who Inspired ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ Would Have Liked the Film http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/esther-earl-inspired-fault-stars-film/story?id=24060110