Tiyana’s Family

On 9/11/19 I lost my caregiver, best friend, teacher, and most importantly my mother. This is still shocking to me as my mother was not a drinker or a smoker. In fact, she took a more healthy approach towards life! After only four (4) months of being diagnosed with a tumor, she died. Prior to passing: Growing up, I admired my moms strength as she raised me and my four siblings as a single mom, put herself through college, worked as a paraprofessional in the Boston Public Schools and somehow found time to volunteer and give back to our local community. I am soon turning 25 years old, and I am now in the process of working to obtain legal guardianship over my four younger siblings- ages 16, 14, 13, and 11- all who are in middle and high school. My mother always told us to take care of each other, and it is now my duty to ensure they have what they need to grow, learn, make her proud, and instill in them the values my mother taught me of resilience, compassion, hard work, and honesty. Cancer is something that impacts entire families, not just the person suffering from the illness. Currently, I do not make nearly as much as needed to support a family of five. I am asking for your assistance, to provide a financial bridge while I work out all the logistical issues. Thus far, I’ve made progress in areas such as : Housing, Social Security Administration and other areas supports in my life have deemed as helpful. I am doing all that I can to continue providing a stable environment for my siblings. -Thank you