For 2 years my incredible sister, Annmarie, relentlessly fought breast cancer. From the very beginning, she faced every challenge with unshakable courage, grit, and determination. Even when the cancer spread to her brain and became terminal, Annmarie’s spirit never wavered. She continued to give her all to being there for her two daughters, Thea (11) and Khalilah (7) — showing them what true strength looks like in the face of hardship. Sadly, on March 3, 2026, Annmarie gained her angel wings. She passed peacefully at Katherine House Hospice, where she had been admitted in December. Our mum flew to the UK to be by her side in her final days, and we held her celebration of life on March 19th. There are no words for the hole she’s left. Even with a terminal diagnosis, she fought like hell and outlived every expectation her doctors had. I’ve never seen strength like that — and all of it was for her girls. Her daughters, now 12 and 7, have been with me in the US since January. My dad and stepmum cared for them in the interim until I could bring them over. I’m a single mom with two biological children, so we’ve gone from three to six almost overnight. It’s been an enormous transition for all of us, but most of all for them. Losing your mum at 12 and 7 is beyond heartbreaking, and yet they’ve been remarkably strong — just like her. They’ve made friends, settled into school, and thrown themselves into extracurricular activities like taekwondo and dance . After everything they’ve been through since Annmarie’s diagnosis, they deserve to enjoy their childhood as much as they possibly can. Why we still need help Their move here is still considered temporary. Without a formal international adoption, the girls cannot stay in the US permanently — which means we’re travelling back and forth between the US and the UK regularly while the process works its way through. Between adoption fees, legal fees and immigration fees, we expect the total to come to upwards of £33,000 — roughly $45,000 USD. We were incredibly blessed to raise $21,000 through earlier GoFundMe efforts, and I want to be clear about where that went: almost all of it covered the legal costs of the custody arrangements and the expense of relocating the girls. It made this stage possible. But it’s spent, and the adoption itself is still ahead of us. Every contribution goes directly toward the adoption, the legal and immigration costs that come with it, the travel the process requires, and keeping the girls in the activities that are helping them heal. Annmarie put her daughters first through every single day of her illness. We’re trying to honor her by giving them the stability and the future she wanted for them — a permanent home, together, with family.

It’s difficult for us to ask for help, but this is one of those moments when community means everything. Every donation, no matter the size, helps carry Annmarie’s spirit forward — giving her daughters the future she’s worked tirelessly to protect.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your kindness, generosity, and prayers. Your support is helping us carry Annmarie’s strength and spirit into the future she dreamed of for her girls.