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Bruna Rocha, of Woburn, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, Aug. 9, leaving behind a heartbroken family and a fiancé who called Rocha his "soul mate," according to a GoFundMe created for her funeral services and social media posts.
Rocha attended Matignon High School in Cambridge before attending UMass Boston from 2013 to 2019. She worked at, among other places, On Pointe Dance Academy in Everett, according to her Facebook profile.
"Bruna would put others before herself and always wanted everyone to be happy," read the description of a fundraiser for her funeral expenses.
Rocha was engaged to John Harris, who also attended Matignon High School, according to his Facebook profile.
"When I met Bruna she was 15 and I was 17," Harris wrote in a post he shared on his Facebook profile. "Finding your soulmate this young is something incredibly special. I cannot begin to describe how blessed I am to have been hers."
In the letter, Harris shared a message he said he was not originally planning to make public.
"Bruna silently suffered from manic depression," he wrote. "Keeping it all to herself. Her death and her illness are a shock to everyone who knew her, including me. She got very ill and suffered in silence.
"I hate that this happened," the message continued. "I hate what that did to her."
Harris continued on to thank everyone who donated to the GoFundMe for costs associated with Rocha's death. The fundraiser garnered over $28,000 in four days.
"We raised so much that it will allow us to give her the most amazing send-off," he wrote. "Proceeds from the GoFundMe will pay for all of her services as well as mental health care for myself and her family. With the money left over, we will start the Bruna Rocha Memorial Foundation. Let's hold events and donate to causes she loved and help those who can't afford mental health services get the help they need."
Click here to view the GoFundMe for Bruna Rocha.
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