Send Marli to Father’s Funeral in the Marshalls

The birth father of five of my siblings passed away this weekend in the Marshall Islands. Twenty years after being adopted, my sister Marli has the opportunity to travel with my sister and brother-in-law for the funeral but she needs our help to cover the costs of the trip! Marli was adopted from the Marshalls at age 6. Meningitis at the age of 2 left her completely deaf and epileptic. With no formal deaf education or sign language on the islands, Marli was unable to communicate at all before being adopted into our family of rich deaf heritage (my three biological siblings are deaf or hard-of-hearing and we are all fluent in sign language). This beautiful and brilliant girl has since excelled in life. A few years ago she even had a life-changing brain surgery which cured her constant seizures. Marli remembers her birth family fondly and has dreamed of returning to the Marshall Islands for years. (Her bedroom is even adorned from floor to ceiling with ocean scenes and mementos from the islands). However, she has never had someone to accompany her in order to translate for her. Now with the passing of her father, she has the opportunity to travel with my other sister. Marli has saved up over $800 over the years in hopes of visiting the Marshalls; however, the airplane tickets at such short notice are $2,500. Let’s all chip in and get this beautiful island girl back to see her birth family!