Nicole Jennalee Russell

“Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.”

—Scarecrow

Like the Scarecrow, Nicole developed her brain through her love of reading. Whether by a small night light by her bed, or a flashlight under her covers, she was always in a book from a very young age. She broke the glass ceiling at North Oaks Elementary School in 1987, by insisting she become the first female ringmaster for the kindergarten circus. At Canyon Vista Middle School, she became interested in history and math, and dreamed of becoming a pilot. She read dozens of astronomy books and fell in love with all things NASA. Nicole was a self-proclaimed “space freak” and idolized astronaut Sally Ride. She wanted to float without care on the International Space Station and conduct scientific experiments to improve human life and help cure diseases.

Nicole’s life moved from one dance step to the next: ballet, tap, jazz, and finally the Sundancers drill team at Westwood High School. She added foreign languages to her brainpower: French, American Sign Language, and Russian. Her goal was to live in Paris to design new clothing lines and visit classic art museums. Before graduating in 2000, she could tell you about any NASA mission, spacecraft, or astronaut. Nicole won an essay contest and got to meet astronaut Mike Massimino and tour the space station mobile exhibit. Her goal was to be the first woman to land on the Moon.

Like her mom, Nicole loved art projects; unlike her mom, she hated cooking (and cleaning). But then, she found a job that combined both: Ice Cream Scooper Extraordinaire at Amy’s Ice Creams. From 2002-2003, she studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in San Diego and Los Angeles.

"I shall take the heart. For brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world."

—Tin Man

Like the Tin Man, Nicole loved and was loved by many people and animals. With her neighborhood friends, she danced together, enjoyed birthday parties, and hosted slumber parties. She let friends try on her extravagant clothes and protected them from anyone mean. When others wanted to act out Star Wars or The Goonies, Nicole insisted on playing Wizard of Oz. With her brother, Zack, she memorized The Princess Bride, Groundhog Day, and countless episodes of Newsradio.

Throughout her years in school, Nicole was unapologetically herself, and always included people in her circle who were different. Nicole’s friends described her as beautiful and loving, a beacon of strength and resilience, spirited, with a bright and cheerful attitude, positive, full of light and color, head strong, childlike, cheerful, fun, refreshing, spunky, and loyal. She brought life and warmth wherever she went. Nicole loved people fiercely.

Nicole also loved dogs, from her first dog, Cuddles, to Laika (named after the first dog in space), to Frankie (named after L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz). She loved the miniature horses from Hearts and Hooves, the organization she volunteered with. She loved helping rescue animals at the shelter. And Nicole loved all kinds of animals so much that she became a vegetarian. For Thanksgiving, she encouraged everyone to eat pizza and save a turkey.

She loved bright colors like turquoise and hot pink, with everything covered in glitter. Nicole loved brightening up kids in the children’s hospital and working with kids in the Special Olympics. She dressed up as Daphne with other friends who also rode around as Scooby-Doo characters in a lifelike Mystery Machine. They went to fundraisers, blood drives, and other charity functions. She shaved her head in solidarity with a friend fighting brain cancer. Little did she know that she, too, would be fighting brain cancer herself. Nicole was always ready to serve others, even if her body wasn’t.

“I’ll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I’ll fight you standing on one foot. I’ll fight you with my eyes closed.”

—Cowardly Lion

Everyone knew Nicole as a determined fighter, a hard worker with an unbreakable spirit, who spoke and lived without fear––like a truly brave lion. And it took all her courage to fight her lifelong battles with illness.

In 1997, after three years of tests, Nicole was diagnosed with Wilson’s Disease, a genetic liver disorder. It drastically changed the trajectory of her life and the goals she aimed for. But it never dampened her spirit. By the end of high school, Nicole could no longer dance or attend class––yet she graduated on time with the class of 2000. And during these years, she started the first support group for other kids with Wilson’s Disease.

Nicole battled through her physical and neurological challenges to sing on stage with her favorite musical artist, Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage. She braved the adventure of living thousands of miles from home to attend FIDM. And when Wilson’s Disease cut short her time in school, she courageously faced her shattered dreams. Nicole had courage when discovering her health problems would prevent her from ever going to space with NASA. But she took courage from the movie Gattaca, where a young man fights to become an astronaut, despite his supposedly doomed genetic health. Nicole kept dreaming.

In her award-winning high school essay, Nicole wrote: “I know I can’t try to disguise my health, so I have learned to just accept it and live with it with pride. It’s already brought me places I hadn’t ever dreamed I would go, and I have realized what true support is from friends and family. I wouldn’t change anything—even for the moon!”

Even though Wilson’s Disease has no cure, and treatments were ineffective, Nicole lived every day with courage. She danced at her brother and sister-in-law’s wedding in 2005. She faced the harsh reality of living with a feeding tube for six years. When she was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer in April 2022, Nicole bravely pushed ahead through chemo, radiation, and surgery. Before she lost her beautiful red hair, she donated it to Locks of Love, and adopted a new mantra: “Bald is Beautiful.”

When she was diagnosed with brain tumors in January 2023, Nicole persisted through more surgery and radiation. In May 2023, she told her doctors she had to leave the hospital to watch her nieces perform in Wizard of Oz the Musical. She insisted on attending her niece’s and nephew’s birthday party in July 2023, despite her worsening condition.

Nicole never wanted pictures taken of herself in a wheelchair or hospital bed, because she didn’t want people to view her as sick, and she always had hope that tomorrow would be better. She exhibited courage when her cancer became untreatable, and in August 2023 she had to move into Hospice care at the Christopher House Austin. She bravely faced the loss of movement, communication, and even clear thinking. She was a fighter until the end, saying to Wilson’s Disease and cancer, “I’ll fight you both together if you want.”

“A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.”

––The Wizard of Oz

Nicole is survived by her mother (Pat), brother (Zack), sister-in-law (Naomi), nieces (Annalei, Miah, Cassia), nephew (Paxton), dog (Frankie), aunt and uncle (Cathy and Dan), uncle (Joe), and cousins (Aaron, Adam, Natalie, Catherine, Joseph), and countless friends. We all feel like Dorothy’s friends who said tearful goodbyes to her when she clicked her heels together three times and repeated, “There’s no place like home.”

A Celebration of Life for Nicole will be held at The Austin Stone- North Campus, 1150 McNeil Drive Round Rock, Texas 78681, on Saturday, September 9th, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. A viewing will be held from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the service. (Please note that The Austin Stone has multiple campuses. Be sure to drive to the address listed above.) Please wear something bright and colorful to honor Nicole.

Nicole's burial will take place on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at Grove Hill Memorial Park Cemetery: 4118 Samuell Blvd., Dallas, TX 75228. Burial plot: 32.79060° N, 96.71902° W

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to one of the following:

Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/nicole-jennalee-russell?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet-first-launch&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

Wilson's Disease Association : https://braintumor.org/take-action/give/

National Brain Tumor Society: https://braintumor.org/take-action/give/

Christopher House: https://www.hospiceaustin.org/get-involved/donate/