The Malinda Som Fundraiser

As much as we wanted the fundraiser to be for a brand new bed, it will unfortunately be for her funeral. Malinda was an amazing, young woman with great ambition. She loved spending time with her friends and family and going out to eat. She received a scholarship to Wentworth Institute of Technology, where she studied Mechanical Engineering and thrived on the challenges it brought her. Sadly, she was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease, called Dermatomyositis, in 2013 which forced her to withdraw from school. Despite everything she went through, Malinda stayed positive and strong to the very end. She may physically be gone, but she will always remain with us in spirit. Please tell someone that you love them tonight in honor of her. Enjoy your lives and live them to their full potential. It's what she would want. 
We want to thank every one of her friends for being there when she needed it most. You helped mold her into the wonderful person she is.

EDIT - After spending the day making arrangements, we realized we drastically underestimated the costs we are about to incur. As a family, we are completely blown away and grateful for the generosity every one of you has shown us. Really, I can't emphasize enough how much your support means to us. We have adjusted our goal, as we would still like to make a considerable donation to charity, while providing Malinda with the send-off and memorial she deserves. 
Also, we would like to mention that Genzyme, the company that Sophanna works for, will generously match our charitable donation up to $2,000.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and donating whatever you can. Our family greatly appreciates it.

With love,
The Som family