About 6 years ago, my 5 children and I were tragically separated after a deceiving divorce. My oldest son, 21, was all I had left of them. About a year and a half ago, my second eldest made contact, 15 at the time. About 2 weeks after we reunited, my oldest son, Zane, committed suicide. That was April 16, 2024.

I moved from Wyoming to Tennessee in December of 2020. I needed a new start away from my ex and the loss of my children in my life. I have been basically homeless since before COVID and now I'm struggling to get work because of my mental state after loosing my son and lack of transportation. I have been trying to go back home to get my son's ashes since his passing. Zane was a creative, fun, loving, and helpful young man. He worked for Pepsi Co. Distribution building displays, loved working on cars, computers and he loved his little brothers and his mom. He lived for family. This loss was very unexpected and unbelievable. Everything has been so much, maybe too much for me to handle honestly. He had life insurance that covered, but since I was across the country, he named the family he roomed with for 2 years as the beneficiary to the policy. They kept his belongings and the money from the insurance without paying for anything, leaving me to file indigency with the County to cover the cremation.

My fiancé and I are on a fixed income and had 2 very unsuccessful attempts at purchasing a cheap used vehicle that will make it the 2,000 miles for us to relocate to the Midwest. Zane's ashes are still in Wyoming. His best friend from work was finally able to get them from the funeral home because the other family used my late father's name to sign the organ donor's paperwork and at the coroner's office and funeral home since the dad's name and my father's name were the same, and they wanted the insurance money. The funeral home didn't want to make a second mistake after hardly catching that they were trying to commit fraud for the ashes and refused to release the remains until I could be there in person.

After months of his remains being at the funeral home, she was able to pick them up until I get there. We couldn't get an urn for him since the funds were never used toward his final expenses, so she said his remains are just in a black funeral home box right now and couldn't send me a picture because she knows it will break my heart to see after my baby worked so hard for nothing. Please help us to get a vehicle and relocate to a more stable environment and finally have some kind of closure over my son's sudden death.

The funds raised will be used for the transportation and fuel for travel and temporary support of mother to get remains and settle back in the Midwest.