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Ella Mills’ devastated father has paid a heartbreaking tribute to his “very happy” daughter. The first anniversary of her death is approachingHe called her death a “nightmare”.
Trinity College student Ella Mills has just started a semester in a dual bachelor’s degree program at Columbia University. She died last September when her clothes got tangled in rocks while kayaking near Washington..
Ms Mills was a third-year English major at Trinity College Dublin and had just started studying at Columbia University the month she died, where she was believed to be a third-year student at the College of General Education.
The Dublin native was travelling with the Columbia University Whitewater Kayak Club when tragedy struck.
Ms Mills’ father Ralph recalled the difficulties the family faced in getting her body back to Ireland after her death on Newstalk Breakfast on Tuesday morning.
“On the surface, this should have been relatively straightforward. This is the United States, she died in the executive capital, she had full insurance, we had great help from Columbia University and a liaison staff in Washington was excellent.
“I was home looking after the twins, who were 14 at the time, and (her mother) Joann went with her sister. Even though it worked out in her favor, it was still a Kafkaesque experience — a nightmare.
“I can only imagine the families who have lost loved ones in more turbulent circumstances in the world or in more difficult to reach places,” he said.
Fortunately, Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust stepped in to help the family, helping them “reduce the financial burden and address the logistics of bringing their loved one home.”
Recalling his close relationship with his daughter, Mr Mills said: “Everyone’s child is special, but there was something magical about Ella. She was the smartest person I’ve ever met.”
“The first child teaches parents how to be parents, and she gave us the most wonderful lesson. It was a great time to spend with her.”
He continued: “She was determined and focused, always wanting to peel back the layers to see what was underneath. She wasn’t satisfied with standard answers – she had an incredible curiosity.
“When you meet her, you have to think that one day she’s going to have a huge impact on the world.”
Ralph completed a “water marathon” On Sunday 25th August, I ran 26 miles in the swimming pool at Clontarf. Raising funds go Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
The world record attempt kicked off at the Westwood Club on August 25, a year to the day since he last saw his daughter and waved goodbye to her at Dublin Airport.
“You run up and down the pool and the depth has to be constant. You just keep running up and down until you reach the required length — 844 laps (for a 50-meter pool). It’s a bit like Everest — I chose Everest because it’s right there.
“I was speaking to someone who asked if we would like to raise money for the Kevin Bell Trust. I was walking around the pool one day and thought if there was anything we could do about it.
“I went on the Guinness World Records website and saw that the record existed and was recognised, but it had not yet been claimed,” he said.
*This article was originally published on additional.
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