Kristin Fleschner

Kristin Fleschner was born on February 9, 1982, to Kathy and Steve Fleschner in Terre Haute, Indiana. She had three siblings: Paul, Katie, and Tim. From an early age, Kristin exhibited a strong will and sharp intellect. She excelled at sports and enjoyed playing basketball, tennis, and bicycling.
Kristin attended Vanderbilt University, and soon after graduating summa cum laude, she was awarded a Michael B. Keegan Traveling Fellowship. She spent a year in Africa working with underprivileged women and children, despite having severe type 1 diabetes. Kristin was an adventurer and did not like taking no for an answer.
Following the fellowship year, Kristin worked for Polaris in Washington, D.C., an organization that fights human trafficking. She also worked for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi before taking a position as an analyst serving the State Department and other government agencies. During her time in the government, Kristin advised on matters of African politics and leaders. She also helped inform the United States' policy and support for LGBTI individuals around the world during her time working for the country's first Special Envoy for the Rights of LGBTI Persons at the State Department.
Kristin attended Harvard Law School and graduated in 2014. During this time, complications from Kristin's diabetes led to declining vision and eventual blindness, which led Kristin to receive her first Seeing Eye dog, Zoe. She had to relearn how to read and study, a testament to her tenacity and fortitude. Harvard Law School featured her in a documentary, "Blind Ambition," which focused on her advocacy for students with disabilities on campus.
After graduation, Kristin continued to be a powerful advocate for those who were not able to advocate for themselves. She also grew increasingly supportive of the Seeing Eye organization for guide dogs and was very active on social media, sharing her adventures and educating others through her own life's journey.
Kristin received many accolades throughout her life. These include: the 2014 Harvard Law School Dean's Leadership Award for her work on universal design and accessibility issues on campus; a finisher of the 2014 Boston Marathon; a 2015 feature by the U.S. Department of State during Women's History Month; an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Honoris Causa from the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in 2017; the 2017 Polaris Award for distinctive alumni of Terre Haute North Vigo High School; gold medals in the 2018 and 2019 Para Road National Cycling Championship; silver medals in the 2018 and 2019 Para Road Cycling National Time Trial; bronze medals in the 2019 Para Track Cycling Nationals Championship; and various awards and distinctions during her time working for the government. She also served on the Vanderbilt Michael Keegan Fellowship Selection Committee Board.
She was a powerful and compelling public speaker and an excellent communicator. She was also a kind and patient listener, and she gave level-headed and compassionate advice to others, because of her own struggles with illness and physical suffering.
She loved her family and was constantly in communication via emails, phone calls and texts. Because of her declining health she lived with her parents the last four years of her life, and they were always by her side, taking her to numerous medical visits to try to sort out her complicated health journey.
Kristin had a pancreas transplant in 2007, and the pancreas only recently failed, having served her well for over 15 years. She recently had a kidney transplant and was able to spend time with her donor earlier this year. Kristin was very grateful to her organ donors, Kyle and Carolyn, that helped extend her life. She felt interconnected with them in a sacred way and celebrated her "transplant days" every year.
Her love and gratitude for her dogs were core parts of who she was. Daisy and Zoe were by her side, providing her comfort when she passed. They were her friends and companions in life. They were family.
She and Zoe traveled around the world together and documented many of their travels. She built community through Zoe and Daisy, which is evident from the Zoe the Seeing Eye Dog Facebook community, with over 11,000 followers. Zoe and Daisy brought her love and endless joy, and they adored her.
Kristin deeply loved Indiana, the Wabash Valley, and Terre Haute. She would frequently send her family updates about news in the Terre Haute region. She was also on the boards of Dr. Kathleen Stienstra's Maple Center and the Larry Paul Fleschner Foundation, both of which focus on improving quality of life in the Terre Haute region.
In late 2020, she led a lawsuit to expand private and safe voting for people with print disabilities. Earlier this year, the lawsuit was successful, and next month, thousands of Hoosiers will be able to vote because of Kristin's efforts.
Kristin loved spending time with her nieces and nephews and was truly excellent with young children. She made it a point to send thoughtful books and educational, soul-lifting gifts to each of her nieces and nephews on their birthdays, and everyone loved talking with Auntie Kristin. She frequently called her 97-year-old Grandpa George to check in on him, and she would send handwritten cards to let her loved ones know she was thinking about them and loved them.
Kristin had such a lust for life, such a desire to help others and do good in this world. We are smiling through our tears as we remember how she would send us motivational songs each week and would start impromptu dance parties that would make everyone smile.
Going to Starbucks with her dogs was a highlight of her daily ritual. She would always order a matcha lemonade and a pup cup for Zoe. In a uniquely Kristin way, she would give Starbucks gift cards to people who were unhoused and would automatically refill them when they ran low, so that she could share this joy with others.
Kristin had a sense of humor to the end and was calling family members, wanting to share jokes and funny stories even this past week - she loved sharing and connecting with others.
Watching her health decline was both brutal and ultimately somehow inspiring. In the end, she had an acceptance and grace of temperament that can only come when one has passed through extreme suffering. Her body was a frail vessel, but her spirit was one of fire. It is so painful to see her go, but we know her pain is now over.
As a final Kristin story, only a few months ago she was with her niece, who was crying because she was not ready for it to be bedtime. Kristin gently told her, "Just breathe. That's the only thing you'll ever have complete control over in your life." And they breathed together and settled down.
Kristin is survived by her grandfather, George Fleschner; parents, Steve Fleschner and Kathy O'Brien Fleschner; siblings and siblings-in-law, Paul Fleschner and Alison Fleschner, Katie Fleschner McMullen and Darek McMullen, and Tim Fleschner and Drew Keller; nephews, Theo and George McMullen; and nieces, Winnifred, Madeleine, and Noelle Elizabeth Kristin Fleschner.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial contributions made to The Seeing Eye, Inc.
If you would like to attend Kristin's Celebration of Life, please visit this website:
https://bit.ly/kristinfleschner
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