From Rose to Butterfly

From Rose

to Butterfly

BY ASHLEY MARIA BERMUDEZ

Emily Rose Bromberg was featured on Centric magazine's 2020 cover. She passed away on July 6, after her second cancer diagnosis.

Craig Bromberg was sitting at his daughter’s celebration of life service not knowing how he would stand up in front of everyone and get through his speech without crying.

But he wanted to do it and make his daughter, Emily Rose Bromberg, proud.

As he listened to Emily’s friends, mentors and aunt tell their stories about Emily on July 11 at Generations Church, he realized there was so much love in the room.

“I just had this moment of calm — the only moment of calm that I’ve had in over a year,” Craig said. “I just went through it and said what I wanted to say, and I really felt like she was there with me.”

Emily Rose Bromberg died at 22 years old. She majored in human communications at UCF before leaving school her junior year.

At 15 years old, Emily was diagnosed with Stage 2B Melanoma, which was surgically removed. In March 2019, she was diagnosed with cancer again — Stage 4 Melanoma.

Emily’s family knew that she wouldn’t have wanted people crying and dressed in black clothes. Instead, guests wore bright colors to Emily’s celebration of life.

Dylan Bromberg, Emily’s younger brother, had the idea to wear pink, her power color.

One day, he was at the mall with his sister, and she felt insecure, thinking that people were looking at her.

They decided to leave, and as they were leaving, Emily went straight to a pink suit — the suit she said she’d wear when she was cancer-free.

“I have her suit in my closet, and I used it as inspiration to find the one I’m wearing now,” Dylan said at the celebration of life. “Even when her day was down, she knew how to twist it positively.”

Dylan said that he had a close relationship with his sister and that he could always tell her anything without being judged.

“She taught me a lot about the world and appreciating the small things,” Dylan said. “Really just living life passionately and without regrets.”

This included uploading a video on her YouTube channel, Emily Rose, when she shaved her head. She said it was a freeing and exciting day and that she loved the way she looked.

“I’ve had one of the scariest half of a year,” Emily said in the video. “It’s been terrifying, but it's been some of the best months of my entire life … You can’t let things get in the way of you living your life.”

The celebration of life was packed with roses and butterflies that had ribbons with Emily’s name. Guests grabbed a butterfly on the way in and a rose on the way out.

But Anne Bromberg, Emily’s mother, said that she doesn’t think there were enough for the almost 800 guests. About 500 people fit inside while a crowd outside the church watched through the TVs. Anne said that one person with cancer who attended was ready to give up on treatments, but Emily told her that she had to keep going.

“She credits Emily with saving her life and keeping her in the fight,” Anne said. “People have said, ‘Oh my gosh! She lived her life unapologetically.’”

In honor of Emily’s impact, the Emily Rose

Live your best lives. That is my best advice to you. No matter what is going on, just live.

Emily Rose Bromberg EMpwr Foundation was launched in August. Craig said that the foundation’s details are being finalized, but it has started raising money, giving him bittersweet feelings.

“Being reminded of Emily is wonderful, but being reminded of some of the challenges — it’s difficult,” Craig said.

The foundation is managed by Craig, Anne, and Amanda Calta, Emily’s aunt.

When Emily was born, Calta would take her on outings, and they formed a tight bond as Emily grew up.

“I was her aunt, but we were also friends,” Calta said. “We would say that we were soul twins.”

Anne said Emily wanted to be a cycling instructor in New York, where she loved to see Broadway shows.

She loved to dance and was a competitive dancer before shifting toward her fitness career. She loved the color pink, her family’s two rescue dogs and two rescue cats.

She loved spending time with her friends and adored it when people used her first and middle name together. She loved trying new restaurants, going to concerts and traveling with her family.

Emily Rose Bromberg especially loved her family and they love her.