Challenge of a lifetime for Forrest Parvati and Amina

Hi, my name is Jenny, and I'm one of Forrest Parvati's "Aunties." Forrest's mother, our dear friend Amina, is in hospice with stage 4 metastatic melanoma. On February 12, Amina went to a hospital for tests and had brain surgery two days later. Forrest Parvati immediately went into action, caring meticulously for her mother as the body's harrowing journey has unfolded for nearly two months and counting.

Forrest Parvati is foregoing her only income source as a doula in order to tend to her mother (and hundreds of related tasks). This GoFundMe is to raise enough money to support her for up to nine months while she cares directly for her mother, for as long as possible, and ultimately while she handles a great deal of legal and administrative work, as well as cleaning out Amina’s house and possessions. Unfortunately, Amina’s husband is currently transitioning into assistive care, so the estate will primarily provide for his care in the future. Funds are needed to pay for her own housing, healthcare, car, food, etc. at ~$3500/month. As a self-employed doula, there is no safety net built into her employment. Any donation will be gratefully appreciated.

In Forrest Parvati's words:

"I became a postpartum doula about 20 years ago, in no small part inspired by the stories my mother told me about how giving birth to me and breastfeeding me was the most difficult but empowering experience of her life. It is now my heartbreaking but deeply important and tender task to be her death doula. I am giving her all the deeply present customized tender loving care I give my postpartum babies, mothers, fathers, siblings, and pets. It is a great blessing but also incredibly intense and painful on every level of my being.

"Having to give up my postpartum clients for the foreseeable future has been very sad in and of itself, because I care so deeply for them and know how much I want to give them as they welcome their little ones. Giving up work is also financially devastating, but the alternative is for me to hire strangers to be with my mother in her last months, and that doesn't feel right to any of us.

"I was reluctant to reach out and ask for support, but with the encouragement of my mother and those closest to us, I have been convinced that my willingness to accept support is an important part of her comfort equation as well as my ability to keep being a postpartum doula on the other side of this adventure. All families deserve deeply loving support that is customized to their unique experience and needs as they pass through the threshold of such major life changes. I have come to realize that includes us, and so I am willing to accept whatever support people are able to offer."

Forrest Parvati has always done things to the nth degree. Whether dressing for an evening, teaching a weekend of sacred dance, or caring for newborns and their families, Forrest Parvati's nature is superlative. As a doula, her reputation precedes her, for unsurpassed thoughtfulness, detail, compassion, and expertise. She wants the baby to not only be fed and rested and clothed and safe, but also to hear the sweetest music, wake to an adoring gaze, and have parents who are adored and well-rested! She has now turned that same loving precision to care for her mother.

Will you support Forrest Parvati as a doula for her mother during these final months, and the closure process afterwards?

Thank you.