Steve Irwin died almost eight years ago, but his daughter Bindi Irwin still can’t get over his death. On her 16th birthday on Thursday, Bindi remembers the late Crocodile Hunter.

“That is the biggest lie you will ever hear,” the young conservationist told People magazine of the advice, “time heals all wounds,” which people have been told her when she lost her father.

“That kind of sadness never goes away. It’s like losing a piece of your heart that you never get back.”

Nevertheless, Bindi, her mum Terri and her brother Robert, who is now 10, have able to continue with their lives without letting Steve’s memory die.

“When you lose a loved one, you come to these crossroads,” she said. “You can take the path that leads you down the aisle of sadness, or you can say, ‘I’m never going to let this person’s memory die. I’m going to make sure everything they worked for continues.’”

She also revealed that her father wrote her letters in the past, and that she reads them sometimes.

“Reading those letters back is special,” she said. “I’m grateful he wrote them. Those little things remind you of him and give you strength to keep going.”

Steve died on Sep 4, 2006 after being struck by a stingray in the heart. His death was recounted by cameraman Justin Lyons in March.

Read: Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin’s Final Words: I’m Dying

“He had a two-inch-wide injury over his heart with blood and fluid coming out of it and we had to get him back to the boat as fast as we can,” he told the hosts of “Studio 10.”

Lyons, who was the sole witness to the fateful event, swore he would never release the footage of Steve’s last moments out of respect for his family, but that’s not enough for Bindi.

“It was really hurtful,” Bindi told Who magazine. “For as long as I live, I’ll never listen to it. It’s wrong as a family for us to hear about it.”

Bindi celebrates her 16th birthday with an animal onesie party at the Australia Zoo.