Daughter pays tribute to mom who died from ALS — and helps others with grief in the process: ‘Trust in your own strength’
This New Yorker is helping her mother’s spirit shine bright.
Cynthia Yip began leaving sweet messages tied to tiny glass jars filled with origami stars around New York City to honor her mother and cope with the grief of her passing.
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Now she’s inspired people around the world to pay tribute to their dearly departed.
Yip’s mother, Tai Hing, died at the age of 65 in 2017, just months after she was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Her mom had been a beacon of light all of her life, and she couldn’t imagine a day without her shining spirit.
As she worked to manage her grief, a therapist suggested that instead of letting her sadness overwhelm her, Yip should do something to honor her mother.
“One way I could contribute back is to do what my mom used to do,” the 38-year-old New Yorker shared. “She would go out of her way to help people, so I wanted to do the same thing, where I contribute kindness and positivity back to the community.”
Yip’s idea seemed small — and she never thought the impact would be so big.
She began by writing uplifting messages signed with her Instagram handle on Post-It notes when she felt sad and leaving them around the city on her way home from work for strangers to collect.
Then, one day, someone messaged her on Instagram.
“They told me that they were having a really tough day, and seeing that note was really surprising and was what they needed at that time,” Yip remembered fondly.
The note was exactly what she needed to be inspired to leave more.
“I was really happy to hear that I was able to help in some way,” she said.
As she became more invested in the project, she decided to tie the notes to miniature glass jars she filled with handmade paper stars, allowing her to reminisce about folding origami paper stars with her mom as a child.
“That was one of my favorite pastime activities with my mom. So I wanted to also incorporate that little piece into these notes of positivity and kindness,” Yip added.
She now carries her creations with her most of the time, sprinkling some starry positivity throughout NYC whenever she’s inspired, hoping to brighten someone’s day.
Last November, that person was Star Shelton. The 26-year-old was walking through Times Square while in town for a work trip when she spotted a tiny jar filled with paper stars tied with a note.
“My name being Star, and living for all the little synchronicities in this life, made the moment just so ‘meant to be,’” she told The Post.
The note reads: “Even though it feels like the shadows might never lift, always remember that even the longest nights end with a sunrise. Trust in your own strength to navigate the darkness and keep looking ahead to the light you will soon see.”
Shelton said, “Those words resonated with me so deeply at the time, and even today, I continue to see why I received that message when I did.”
“To think someone wrote those words and placed them earlier that same day just makes me smile so big.”
She now keeps the jar and note on an altar at her home in Detroit.
“It was the most perfect souvenir,” Shelton said.
Through the years, Yip has been contacted by people from all around the globe, thanking her for the encouraging messages and asking to join the project. She now shares instructions on how to make the origami stars on her website.
“People have said that just seeing the work that I’m doing with the tiny jars of stars is really inspiring to them, and that they want to do the same thing on their own as well,” she said.
Her mission to turn her mourning into something inspiring has resonated with many.
“A lot of people who reached out to me tell me that they’ve had a loved one who passed away as well, and a few of them had relatives who passed away from ALS. So they were able to really connect with my story,” she shared.
“It helped them realize that there are also things that they could do as well to continue to honor their loved ones.”
The Tiny Jars of Stars project has since spread as far away as Australia, according to Yip’s Instagram messages, and she was recognized last month by research nonprofit Kindlab for offering “an unexpected burst of sunshine” to others.
“I’m really excited,” Yip said of her project.
It may even spread to England soon.
Kimberley Meadows, of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK’s eastern coast, was visiting Time Out Market in New York City in January 2024, celebrating her 40th birthday, when she noticed a tiny glass vial filled with paper stars tied with an encouraging message.
Meadows was considering applying for a leadership role at work when the trip ended, but was terrified to accept the responsibility.
That was when she stumbled upon a dose of inspiration.
The note she found read:
“The hardest part about setting goals for ourselves is the fear that we’ll never achieve them. But it doesn’t matter whether we took one or hundreds of steps towards it. The most important thing is that you took a step, a risk, and a chance for yourself. And that matters.”
The timing was perfect.
“It felt a little serendipitous that I’d found the stars with the message Cynthia left — like it was meant for me,” Meadows told The Post.
“It almost gave me a little ‘you can do it’ kick in the bum that I needed. I’m a huge over-thinker and lack in confidence when it comes to believing in myself, but I have to remember that I CAN DO IT!!”
Meadows got the job.
“What Cynthia is doing is amazing and reminds people that they’re amazing and can do anything they want. It reminds people that while life sometimes feels hard, impossible even, that struggles will pass,” said Meadows, who “often” thinks of bringing the project to her home across the pond.
However, for Yip herself, the project will stay here in New York City, the place where her mother raised her and is filled with constant reminders of her loved one.
“After my mom passed away, I found certain places around New York City to be hard to revisit because it reminded me of my mom,” she explained, but now her tiny jars of stars have helped her remember the love she has for her city and mother.
“It helped remind me that as painful as it was to lose my mom, I should also celebrate her life,” she said.
“Every time I write these notes, it’s like a little nudge to me that, yes, my mom is no longer here with me, but let’s not forget the ways she has brought laughter and smiles to so many people in her life.”
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