On Monday, November 18, 2019, my father lost his battle with cancer (multiple myeloma). And, in an instant, Fatou and I lost the only parent we had left. He’s now resting with our mother whom we lost 15 years ago.

Words cannot adequately express how Fatou and I feel in this moment. We are devastated to lose a man who was everything to us. We feel lost as we look to a future that somehow doesn’t have him in it. We feel grateful, in some way, that Dad is at rest and free from pain. And we know that we are so lucky to have had these final days with him.

In the midst of so many emotions, we also have very practical concerns that we need to tend to. We need to repatriate dad’s remains back to Togo for his funeral. Meanwhile, hospital bills have added up with dad having been treated here with no insurance.

Fatou and I are asking for your help. We are hoping to raise $15,000 to help cover the cost to transport dad’s body back home. We know the holiday season is coming up and finances are tight for everyone. It’s not an easy thing to ask our friends and family for help in this way, but we are making this ask on behalf of our father so that he can return back to his home and finally be at rest. Please know that every little bit helps, and we are so grateful for your consideration. 

Thank you so much for reading. We will post updates to the campaign page, especially as we get closer to provisional details for the funeral.

Very best,
Tchi (Mimi) and Fatou