BRADENTON — Hundreds of people clad in Carolina blue filled the auditorium Saturday at Bradenton Christian School to celebrate the life of 19-year-old Anthony Negrin, who died Tuesday after fighting a rare blood disorder.
Negrin, who graduated from the school two years ago, was well known and liked throughout the community as they watched him fight Fanconi anemia with three bone transplants since 2006.
“This is not supposed to be sad. It’s supposed to be a celebration and he wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Sergio Negrin Jr., 24, Negrin’s older brother who addressed the crowd after he hugged family members seated up front.
A large picture of Anthony smiling was mounted in front of the podium as speakers came forward sharing scripture and words of encouragement.
Negrin said he watched his brother cry one tear as he lay dying this week in their Bradenton home.
“I was praying for God to open up the gates. ... To show him how beautiful Heaven is,” said Negrin, wiping away tears as he recalled the day Anthony died. “Once he sees how beautiful it is, I’m sure he’s not going to be here.”
Sergio Negrin Jr. encouraged everyone to tell their family they love them.
“You grab your mom and grab your dad and tell them how much you love them ... I can never bring my brother back to say I love my brother,” he said. “I will never forget my brother. I will always, always remember him.”
Others will remember him, too. An overflow room was needed for the service to seat attendees.
People wore shades of blue in honor of his favorite college basketball team, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Lance Maasdorp, who wore a Carolina jersey, attended the services with his family. He didn’t know Anthony very well, but felt affected by him.
His 9-year-old son, Tanner, gave up gifts for his seventh birthday a couple of years ago and donated a few hundred dollars to Negrin’s family instead. Other children did the same thing.
There was something about the young man’s smile, Maasdorp said.
“He always smiled, even though he knew the inevitable,” Maasdorp said. “I think he impacted a lot of people with what he was able to accomplish.”
He pointed to the walkway dividing the primary and secondary schools on campus. It’s named for Negrin’s favorite scripture, Isaiah 40:31. People wore light blue bracelets with the scripture etched on it.
Students wore T-shirts reading, “4 Ant.” The No. 4 representing, for, but also the number of boys in the Negrin family. Ant was his nickname.
Roxanne Negrin, Anthony’s mother, greeted hundreds filing into the gymnasium for a reception afterward. She hugged each and every person she met.
One woman approached her and said, “I never knew your son, but he had such an impact on me.”
When asked if she was surprised by how many lives her son had touched, Roxanne Negrin simply smiled and shook her head, “No.”
She covered her mouth with her hands searching for composure before greeting the next person with a smile.
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