Whitney Victoria Lindelof was born a fighter. She met the world with a blue hue but despite all odds and expectations had an immeasurable will to live. Just a day after being born with a severe congenital heart condition, Whitney was adopted by Vicki Lindelof and John Wallace. Vicki became her champion through countless hospital visits and surgeries, her confidant and guide through the tough years of adolescence, and her rock and best friend as she grew into an incredible young woman.
Physically, Whitney’s condition was limiting as only “diluted” oxygen flowed through her bloodstream. After multiple surgeries, a pulmonary artery was transplanted in 1997. For the first time her blood was fully oxygenated, and Whitney lost her blue hue. To the outside world, the immense amount of work it took to keep this little girl alive would have seemed burdensome and in some moments entirely hopeless. To Whitney and her family, nothing was impossible. She embodied the spirit of an old soul. With an incredible team of relentless doctors at UCLA, paired with her own fierce determination to live, Whitney spent 31 beautiful years touching the lives of people and animals alike.
Other than her delicate frame and the large scars she proudly wore, you would never have known that Whitney lived with physical limitations. She held her own with her five siblings: Jake, Luke, Mack, Buck, and Raleigh, who loved, teased, and defended one another while developing fierce bonds of family. Alongside them, she met her match in her feisty yet devoted Uncle George. Her quick tongue and sharp humor appeared as quickly as her first words and greatly influenced her no-nonsense approach to life. If Whitney had an opinion, you were going to hear it, without sugarcoating. She relished moments where an aptly vulgar or brutally honest statement could evoke a little discomfort. She was a girl with no apologies, perhaps because life had given none to her, at least physically. But Whitney never faced her circumstances with fear, bitterness, or regret. From this unbridled honesty came an even greater capacity for empathy, compassion, fearless adoration, and gratitude in everything she did and toward every living thing she met. Whitney spent her years with a clear understanding of the possibility of a short life, thus living a bigger and bolder one than most.
