Thank you so much to everyone who has participated so far! The Christian and Nelson are blown away by you kindness and generosity! I am beyond grateful. ty

When we lost Aaron in February of 2012, in the darkness and pain of his loss, the kids and I had a host of friends and family, many of YOU, that encircled us. Near and far, you buffered us as much as was humanly possible.

My kids had Aaron’s friends, my friends, Aaron’s family, my family, and as time went on we blended families with Jeff’s to give us another family to make us 2 parents, 5 brothers and sisters, and so many grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends… it brings tears to my eyes to think about how much my kids are loved, supported, and watched over by so many. I want to give a little bit of that love and hope to Christian and Nelson, to pay it forward if you will. Thank you so much for considering a modest donation.

Read on for the story behind our request…

Last fall, as my two sons began their senior year of high school, tragedy struck their friend, Christian. His father, Geoff, died suddenly. Being a single dad, this left Christian and his brother, Nelson, not only bereft of his love, guidance, and support, but any sense of financial security. Having some experience with this, I reached out to HTH admin to offer my health and wellbeing coaching services to Christian with the hope that I could offer some support for him through his grief and the roller coaster of senior year. Christian accepted the offer and we began working together in September 2024.

Christian and Nelson went to stay with their uncle, Geoff’s brother. Without sharing too much, as authorities are now involved, the boys were leading a pretty tenuous existence until just before Christian graduated this June, by which time the situation at his uncle’s house became not just untenable, but unsafe.

Shortly after graduation, in early July, Christian and Nelson made the difficult decision to flee their uncle’s house. They spent a few days at a family friend’s house and then their estranged mother and step father flew them to Kentucky without any of their local support network being aware. They arrived on a Tuesday, and by Sunday I could hear a change in Chrisitan’s voice. A normally bright, hopeful, engaged young man sounded scared, sad, and unsure of himself. His brother Nelson was also struggling to manage the situation. Each day, the boys had been berated for not having a plan for their lives that their estranged “parents” deemed "appropriate"

Christian had been led to believe he would be returning to California in August to begin classes at Whittier College, where he has received the Dean’s Scholarship, yet this didn’t seem to matter. He realized quickly his mother and step-father had no intention of sending him back to California.

That was when I felt compelled to do something (see further below for more on that). That Sunday, I worked with the boys, making a plan to get them back home to San Diego. Thankfully, their plan was successful, and that Thursday morning (after getting stuck in the Chicago airport overnight!), they finally made it home.

As part of their plan, Christian & Nelson reached out to Renee Pitera, a longtime friend of their dad’s, for support, and without hesitation she took them in. Together, we are getting the boys settled and back to their respective lives.

The Ask

Christian, who will be a Digital Music Production major, has been awarded the Dean’s Scholarship, a Pell Grant, a room and board grant, loans, and work study. The remaining out of pocket cost for this year is $6000. He only has $3000 left to cover as he also received the HTH Founders Award for $3000. Nelson has struggled since his father’s death with grief and preexisting health issues. While Christian has been diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder), Nelson is in the beginning of that process. Now that he is home, we can get him the support he needs. AND, I am excited to share that Nelson and I will begin the health and wellness coaching process next week!

Financially, Reneé and I are hoping to raise just enough money to get them through this transition so that they have the basics covered for a few months. Ideally, we hope to collect at least $3,000-$5,000 so that Christian and Nelson can get the supplies they need: text books, school & dorm supplies, groceries, transportation, and clothing. Very little was purchased for the boys at their uncle’s house. Thank you so much for considering a modest donation to help the boys get on their feet.

If you have questions or would like to know more please message me directly on FB: https://www.facebook.com/tracy.commerson/

Read On

Read on if you would like to know more how Aaron's memory has popped up through this ordeal and the support we’ve begun to line up for the boys.

Aaron’s Memory

That Sunday morning before I talked to Christian in Kentucky, I woke up with Aaron on my mind. At one point it felt like he was in my ear, “Do something. Do something. Do something. This is bullshit!” I could feel him all around me which hasn’t happened that strongly in a really long time. During the conversation with Christian, he shared with me that “my dad’s hairdresser” (more like Godmother if you ask me, she named Christian) said she had beds for both of them. Over the next 24 hours we were able to secure flights home and make a plan to get them to the airport in Kentucky. Side note: Renee is an amazing human being. She is a hair stylist and also runs a non-profit rescue for disabled animals.

The boys shared Renee’s contact information with me and I reached out. Since she didn’t know me from Eve I wanted to introduce myself. Once we connected via phone, I launched into my schpiel about how I used to be a teacher, my late husband was a teacher at the OG HTH in Pt Loma. She stopped me. “Your husband taught at the original HTH?”

I confirmed.

“Did he die young, with two small kids?”

I confirmed again.

“What was his name?”

I told her, Aaron Commerson. She got quiet for a second. “Oh my God, he was my oldest son’s favorite teacher!!” I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I could believe it. Aaron was every kids’ favorite teacher. I started laugh-crying as she shared all the stories her son had shared during his time with Aaron. I knew then we would get the boys sorted, whatever that took.

Support Going Forward

I have a friend who is a financial advisor who has volunteered his time to financially educate the boys and walk them through what their expenses might be and how to manage their money, but save for the future. If you know of anyone that feels compelled to offer their expertise and/or support, please have them contact me via the contact form below.