A truly amazing individual and friend.

Dear friends, family, co-workers, and compassionate individuals,

I come to you today seeking your support for some truly remarkable individuals, Nicole "Cole" O'Doherty, her fiancé Austin Fitzwater, and Cole's brother AJ O'Doherty.

Cole is the devoted daughter of the recently passed, Colleen O'Doherty. She is an outstanding Veterinary Technician in Washington, DC and has proven to be a paramount part of the team. In recent months, at only 24 years old, Cole has selflessly sacrificed her job, social life and even her own wedding, to care for her sick mother.

This weekend, August 19th was supposed to be Cole & Austin's fairytale wedding. After being devoted to each other for 4 years, they spent well over a year planning the most perfect day. Picking out all the fine details of what would be the most magical day for her as Mrs. Fitzwater. Unfortunately, that fairytale didn't happen and instead, Cole had to say goodbye to her mom less than 10 days before her wedding date.

A little back story on Colleen....

In early April, Colleen felt ill and was admitted into Georgetown University, diagnosed with liver failure. After several weeks of testing, it was clear that Colleen's only means for survival was a liver transplant. On April 23rd, she was placed on a transplant list. Many people have to wait months to years for a transplant, but Colleen was so sick she was approved and had surgery on April 26th for her new liver. Colleen's surgery went remarkably well and she was finally discharged on May 6th, just in time for Mother's Day. Colleen continued to do well at home with some hiccups here and there. She was able to celebrate her 54th birthday in June, at home surrounded by her 2 kids and Austin, who she already considered family. That celebration was sort lived, as Colleen began to feel ill again and was admitted back into the emergency room on July 9th. After several weeks of testing, Colleen was diagnosed with sepsis and heart failure. Colleen's heart unfortunately couldn't handle her illness and she suffered a heart attack on August 6th. After 20 minutes of CPR, the doctors were able to resuscitate her but she was placed in a medically induced coma. She lost her battle on August 10th.

Unfortunately, the fight isn’t over yet. There are three amazing kids that are facing bills that had to be put on hold, so they could be by Colleen's side. For months they have rotated shifts being the sole caregivers to their mom. This time should have been spent being her children and making more amazing memories. Cole's genuine love for her mom and unwavering dedication to supporting her mom is a true testament to her strength of character.

I humbly ask that you would help demonstrate that same strength of character by donating to this GoFundMe Campaign. You can directly contribute to help alleviate the financial burden that Cole, Austin and AJ have to shoulder. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a tremendous impact on their journey towards rebuilding their lives.

I kindly ask that you share this campaign far and wide within your circles, on social media platforms, and wherever you believe some compassionate individuals would be interested in supporting the O'Doherty/Fitzwater family.

Thank you for your compassion, generosity, and unwavering support.