Earlier this year, especially on May 4, Tuva Willassen died after a drowning accident while on holiday in Turkey.
– He had just turned 28 and it’s too early to die. Tuva has had a lot to do in life.
This is what Tuva’s sister, Tromsø deputy mayor Marlene Bråthen (34), tells Dagbladet. Bråthen and Willassen were not biological brothers, but they never claimed to be adoptive sisters.
– We were very much the same and she immediately became part of the family.
It was one of the largest in Norway
Tuva was known to many as a top blogger and influencer. Lui started his blog under the name “tuvaw” in 2009 and it didn’t take long before it became one of the most read blogs in Norway.
The posts were mostly about exercise, fashion, lifestyle and her daily life. But Willassen has also been open about her family relationships, in which she said she was raised in a foster family and had both biological and adoptive siblings.
Elle (26) shot and killed in a pub
Willassen was especially relevant when her former best friend, Therese Charlotte Margrethe Nielsen, and Sophie Elise topped the blog in 2015.
Her sister describes her as caring, funny and very kind. Laughing, Bråthen also adds that her sister was sometimes stubborn.
– He had a very special care for children and the elderly. She was very pleasant to talk to and she always had a warm smile. Tuva was really a good girl.
Was northern Lights who first mentioned the matter.
I took Tuva home to Norway
Tuva did not have travel insurance which made it even more difficult to transport her home to Norway. A close friend of Willassen, Kristina Richardsen, created one Junction where the purpose was to raise money for transportation and burial.
– When I started Spleisen, I thought that if we had enough money to bring it home, then I would be satisfied. We have now come to around NOK 90,000, so it is beyond expectation for both me and the family, Richardsen told Dagbladet in May.
With the help of the fundraising campaign, the family got the 28-year-old’s house. She is now buried in Tromsø and the family thinks it is very nice to have somewhere to go.
– We often visit his grave. We usually bring flowers, light candles and have a little talk with her. The whole family misses her very much every single day and always thinks of her, says Bråthen candidly.
– It scared us more
Eventually Tuva moved from Tromsø and has been living in Oslo for the last few years. Despite the distance, the family remained in regular contact and often spoke via FaceTime.
– We dreaded this Christmas extra because we couldn’t call her and wish her a Merry Christmas. We think a lot about her in general, but it has been very difficult and painful this Christmas.
TOTAL: Tuva together with foster family. Here from a Christmas Eve when Tuva was younger. Photo: private
sea View
The sister says that Tuva has never been particularly interested in gifts on Christmas Eve. She loved food and was the one who spent the most time at the table, especially at Christmas.
– Before, the rest of us were stumbling because we wanted to get up from the table to open presents. But this year no one was lazy at the table, and he understood himself.
He had Tuva in mind
All holidays are harder when you’ve lost someone. First Christmases, birthdays and other big events that happen throughout the year.
– You feel it especially when you get up in the morning and she is missing a Christmas stocking. When there is no place at the table. The lack becomes much stronger, even though she is always there, says the sister.
Bråthen, her husband and little brother have tried to make the best of the situation this year by celebrating Christmas in Spain. The sister says she doesn’t know anyone who loves the sun and warmth like Tuva was.
– I know you would have liked it. This Christmas hasn’t been the same as before, but we have had her with us in spirit.
