Today, I will hold my mother MJ’s hand as she finally enters hospice and leaves this earthly plane - three months late. A day later, I will hold my dog Chance as he takes his last breath. I’m losing two family members back-to-back. I am shattered. And I am asking for help.

What Happened:

- MJ worked herself to the bone under capitalism until her body gave out. When she could no longer keep a roof over her head, she turned to pills to numb the physical and emotional pain. after endless delays and a long fight, she’s finally entering hospice. the facility covered the copay - but I still must pay for her cremation.

- Chance, my loyal shadow through all of this, is in end-stage heart failure. His belly swells with fluid; the diuretics no longer work. His time is now. At-home euthanasia and cremation will cost $1,000.. if I’m lucky.

When MJ’s storage unit was auctioned off during her homelessness, we lost:

- thousands of childhood photos of me, my brother and mom

- My great-grandmother’s wedding ring

- My grandmother’s ashes (MJ dreamed of scattering them in Ireland)

- The proof that MJ’s life and her humanity - before addiction, before the streets - ever existed.

What Your Support Covers:

1. $3,500: MJ’s direct cremation and temporary urn until I can scatter her ashes in Ireland & Italy

2. $1,000: Chance’s at-home goodbye, private cremation and urn

3. $3,000: My rent, therapy, and lost income (my business collapsed while I cared for them)

4. $2,500: A commissioned memorial portrait painting of MJ from the last good photo I have of her

Why I’m Asking:

I am one person and the sole support of my mom and dog. I cannot:

- Plan a funeral while holding my dying dog

- Choose between their needs and my survival

- Recover from this alone

I want to do the hard thing & ask for help when my ancestors felt they couldn’t. Even more strongly, I want to pay it forward. I want to get through this without financial stress so I can do more than survive - so I can finally help myself, live, and create in a way that helps others in a way that MJ needed.

How You Can Help:

- $5 says their lives mattered

- Sharing this is a lifeline

- A kind word helps me keep pushing.

I can’t carry this alone. Please help - For MJ, for Chance, and for love that outlasts death.