OXFORD – Brandi Estelow was just 23 when she passed away last September, her life cut short by mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure.

Described as a vibrant, caring young woman by those who knew her, the 2004 Oxford graduate was pursuing a degree in nursing at Hartwick College in Oneonta when she was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2009. According to her mother, Dena Estelow, her daughter had dreamed of going into the medical field, and was particularly interested in being a pediatric nurse.

“She was in her junior year when she became sick,” Estelow said, adding that her daughter always believed she would beat the odds, and fully intended to walk with her class at graduation in June of this year.

Brandi never had a chance to fulfill her dream of working in the nursing profession, however. She died on Sept. 24 in Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. In the wake of her death, her family asked that memorial contributions be made to Oxford Dollars for Scholars. It was the donations to this fund which prompted the Estelows to create the Brandi Estelow Nursing Scholarship in memory of their daughter, the first recipient of which was Malorey Muzzy, a 2010 graduate of Oxford.