Sophia Bush Turns Grief Into Something Meaningful

Sophia Bush continues to mourn the loss of her former boyfriend and good pal, Dan Fredinburg, who was among the many killed in an avalanche on Mt. Everest Saturday. The avalanche was triggered by a massive earthquake in Nepal that has had a devastating loss of life.

However, instead of mending her wounds, Sophia Bush is trying to make a difference in the late Google exec’s name by sharing a link to his crowdrise fundraising site on Twitter.

“Our friend Dan Fredinburg was climbing Everest on behalf of OrphanGift in support of two Nepali orphanages when the earthquake struck. Please donate to honor his memory and carry on his mission. All funds will help OrphanGift provide urgent aid for the children effected by the disaster and restoring structural damage,” wrote Sophia Bush.

There are no adequate words. Today I find myself attempting to pick up the pieces of my heart that have broken into such tiny shards, I'll likely never find them all. Today I, and so many of my loved ones, lost an incredible friend. Dan Fredinburg was one-of-a-kind. Fearless. Funny. A dancing robot who liked to ride dinosaurs and chase the sun and envision a better future for the world. His brain knew how to build it. His heart was constantly evolving to push himself to make it so. He was one of my favorite human beings on Earth. He was one of the great loves of my life. He was one of my truest friends. He was an incredible brother, a brilliant engineer, and a damn good man. I'm devastated and simultaneously so deeply grateful to have known and loved him, and to have counted him as one of my tribe. I was so looking forward to our planned download of "all the things" when he got home. I am crushed that I will never hear that story. I am crushed knowing that there are over 1,000 people in Nepal suffering this exact feeling, knowing that they too will never hear another tale about an adventure lived from someone that they love. Disasters like this are often unquantifiable, the enormity is too much to understand. Please remember that each person who is now gone was someone's Dan. Please remember that our time on this Earth is not guaranteed. Please tell those you love that you do. Right now. This very minute. And please send a kiss to the sky for my friend Dan. His energy is so big and so bright, and it's all around us, so put some love toward him today. And then hug your loved ones again. #goodbyesweetfriend #savetheice #Nepal #AdventureswithDAN

A photo posted by Sophia Bush (@sophiabush) on Apr 25, 2015 at 2:07pm PDT

Sophia Bush took to Instagram on Saturday to post a lengthy, emotional message after she learned of his death.

“Today I find myself attempting to pick up the pieces of my heart that have broken into such tiny shards, I’ll likely never find them all,” she wrote. “Today I, and so many of my loved ones, lost an incredible friend. Dan Fredinburg was one-of-a-kind. Fearless. Funny.”

More than $28,000 has been raised in Fredinburg’s memory.

Sophia Bush bravely stepped out later Saturday night to honor a prior commitment to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

.@SophiaBush shares her heartbreak after death of her ex Dan Fredinburg in Nepal earthquake. http://t.co/FkVHjkMxSl pic.twitter.com/ARqkKZlpN5

— EntertainmentTonight (@etnow) April 27, 2015

The death toll in Nepal has reached more than 3,700.