Mission Moment: Izze Resilient Following Father’s Death

Izabelle, or Izze to her friends, has learned to be resilient following the passing of her father, firefighter David “Sparky” T. Through Angels of America’s Fallen support, she has successfully followed many of her passions.

Izze is an accomplished Irish dancer, actress and singer – a well-rounded entertainer. She has honored her father’s memory and achieved success despite the pandemic.

“Posing in a pretty dress that is bright and sparkly hides the tenacity of a tiger in this athlete,” Izze’s mother said.

Izze and her McTeggart Irish Dance Team qualified to compete in the 2020 and 2021 Irish Dance World Championships, the pinnacle of the sport. However, the COVID-19 pandemic handed her a bitter blow with the cancelation of two World Championships in Ireland.

“Izze gathered herself, worked hard and focused on her goals which she attained in February – a first-place finish in her level,” her mother said as her daughter worked toward 2023 World qualification.

Irish dance is not Izze’s only focus. She enjoys acting and all aspects of theater. Izze portrayed Mrs. Peacock in her school’s play, Clue. She performed in her school’s musical production of Beauty and the Beast. Earlier this year she traveled with her high school music department to perform at Disneyland over spring break.

Just as valuable as Angels supporting Izze through the years, she has had tremendous mentors.

“Part of Izze’s success has been her voice teacher, LaCretia,” Izze’s mother said. “Izze has been continuing on in her lessons and they have shown in her performances.”

Interactions with coaches or instructors foster relationships of respect and trust with supportive adults (Witt & Caldwell, 2018, p.1). Angel children have lost their parent, one of their most important mentoring relationships. By having these new mentors, children have a strong advocate to cope with the loss.