Survivor. Paige Alyssa Gaal, born January 20, 2004, at the age of 19, passed away unexpectedly in her sleep on August 10, 2023 in her family home after a 5 year battle with autoimmune disorders. Survived by her Father, Greg Gaal, Mother, PJ Gaal, Older Sister, Emma Gaal, and the many family, friends, and pets that loved and will miss her dearly.
Beautiful, funny, intelligent, creative, and a strong spirit only begin to describe the type of person she embodied. Whatever the new hobby or challenge, Paige faced it head on with a zest for life. Unapologetically authentic, she spoke her truth and was fiercely protective of those she loved. Growing up, she was known as an animal whisperer and rescued any creature in need. As a teen, Paige used TikTok as a creative outlet, gaining close to 200,000 followers sharing her love of fashion, her animals, and her infectiously goofy self. Musically inclined, she excelled at the violin from the age of 5 into her high school years. Her love and knowledge of animals fostered her interest in activities such as hatching baby ducklings and working as a Veterinarian Technician.
Graduating with distinguished honors from Spring-Ford High School, Paige continued her education at the University of Sciences (now Saint Joseph’s University) in their Pre-Professional Science Program. Though Paige was on a medical break due to ongoing health issues, it was her goal to resume college and attain a degree that would provide her the opportunity to raise awareness of the invisible illnesses that impact so many others like herself. She persevered through countless ER and hospital stays and continued to pursue any and all treatments available. During Paige’s final months she read and educated her family and others on her chronic conditions in an effort to improve her quality of life and others afflicted with the same conditions. In her reading material, her sister found a quote that Paige highlighted that exemplifies her sister’s life philosophy: “There are elements which, if added to one’s experience, make life better; there are other elements which, if added to one’s experience, make life worse. But what remains when these are set aside is not merely neutral: it is emphatically positive… The additional positive weight is supplied by experience itself, rather than by any of its contents”.
A private event to celebrate the life of Paige will be held at a later date. For now, the family asks that donations be made in Paige’s honor to one of the following organizations:
https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/
http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/
http://www.vet-i-care.org/donate.php