Danielle Renee Roach was an amazing miracle when she was born on October 1, 1977. Because of her mother’s kidney disease, Danielle had a 40% chance of survival. Her mom’s expectation of survival was not much better. Yet she was born healthy and fit and with a zest for life when she came into the world two months premature. Danielle loved life and lived more in her 26 short years than most could hope to attain in several lifetimes.

Danielle was a beautiful and well rounded individual. With her golden tan, long blonde hair and green eyes, she was a stunningly attractive young woman. Of course, Danielle never thought of herself in this way. She would always say “beauty was on the inside.” Danielle could get up in the morning and run a couple of miles, come home and mow the lawn, wash the cars, run a few errands, and be crowned “Ms. Churchland High School,” all before the night was over.

There are so many wonderful adjectives that could be used to describe Danielle. People were first attracted to her because of her outward beauty. However, even after just a short conversation, people could also see her high intelligence, charm, quick wit, compassion and determination. And it only took one time to hear “her booming laughter” to see what a great sense of humor she had. She could adapt to any situation. Social class, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc, meant nothing to Danielle. Wherever she was, it was as if she belonged there. She was such a breath of fresh air. She always had a profound and positive impact on all those she came into contact with. Being with Danielle made you feel special.

Danielle’s determination to live life to the fullest was evident in the many objectives she set and the great effort she made to accomplish them. She was always an optimist. Once she set her sights on a goal she never backed down. Danielle was never afraid of hard work and somehow managed to balance many different activities at once. This is why she found it difficult to deal with or had little patience with those who did not try to help themselves. If you could come close to finding a negative flaw in Danielle’s character, that would be it. One of Danielle’s mottos was “If you want something, you have to make it happen because your priorities are not always as important to others as they are to you.”

Danielle worked and played hard, breaking barriers, only she did not see it that way. To her, this was just a way of life. She loved all kinds of different sports and believed in trying everything at least once whether it was running, whitewater rafting, skateboarding, rollerblading, surfing, mountain biking or snowboarding. She always did extremely well academically. Along with school, she was involved with ballet and an MVP many times over in softball. In junior high school, she played softball and was a first chair flute player, but was also a caregiver to her older brother, Jay, after he was involved in a severe car accident. In high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society, cheerleader, tennis player, and an employee of both the Elizabeth River Ferry and Harbour Tours. Danielle did all of this and still managed to play a big role in the lives of her family and friends. Danielle then attended the University of Virginia where she played tennis, joined the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and had several jobs.

Danielle donated her kidney to her mom, on Dec. 18, 1998, without skipping a beat on her obligations as a student or employee at UVa. She gave her mom a second chance at life. After graduating in 1999, she was one of two individuals (and the first woman ever) selected to go through the apprenticeship program to become a harbor pilot for the Virginia Pilot Association. After completing two years with the pilots, Danielle decided to pursue a career in journalism. She was hired as a local sports reporter for Local News Channel and a staff writer for The Virginian-Pilot. She donated blood and platelets on a regular basis. She also became a volunteer with LifeNet on July 7th, 2003. Danielle was also active with Christ and Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk.

Danielle has touched thousands of lives in one way or another and will sorely be missed not only for the contributions she has already made, but for the ones she would have made in the future. She genuinely cared for others. She routinely put  the needs and wants of others before her own. For those of us lucky enough to have loved her or even just met her one time, our lives will be forever changed. Danielle will forever live on in our hearts.

Here is here Danielle as remembered by her mom, Brenda Roach:
As a song from yesteryear goes “Teach Your Children.” Danielle (my “Pooh”) was a great teacher for me. She gave me inspiration, enthusiasm, encouragement, support, and life when she gave me her kidney. I truly admire my daughter. Our special song “My Hero”…well, that was my “Pooh” even though she would say, “Brenda, you’re my hero!”  I’ve had many young mothers say “I hope my daughter and I will have a relationship like you and Danielle”. My eyes shed a stream of tears every day because of my Danielle void. I will never heal. I love you Pooh. You will always be my “Gutsy Girl”!

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