My brother Aaron moved into his Portage Lakes apartment in January of 2024. If you could imagine the perfect place for Aaron this was it. It was scenic and right on the water with a beautiful yard for him to plant his wildflower seeds. Aaron takes good care of things. He is the type of person that is genuinely joyful when cooking a big meal for his family or friends. He always insists on helping others with no strings attached, and no expectation of anything in return, and he has been this way since he was little. He’s compassionate and brilliant and truly, genuinely kind and always willing to help. He will give you a ride or take you to the hospital or help you move without hesitation. And in all the time he spends and has spent taking care of others, he still chose to pursue and complete a Bachelors degree in communications, a welding license and certification, and has returned to university for an additional degree in engineering. He has always been simultaneously working full-time throughout all of his education. He has worked hard and diligently for years to earn everything he has. He saved up and found the perfect Jeep for himself that he had always wanted and has learned how to do all of his own maintenance and repairs. He saved up and has dedicated so much time and effort into his 3-D printing projects and supplies. It was such an elaborate set up it was like his own 3D printing studio. He knows how to refinish and refurbish furniture. He had spent a long time collecting spices and cooking supplies and recipes. He took care of his yard, and was really proud of his flowers. He has collected unique vintage and antique furniture for years that is one of a kind and irreplaceable. Aaron is not someone who is enticed by material things and instead has always just had a small collection of sentimental items that really matter to him. Things like our grandpa’s Marlboro snapback hat, a signed Cage the Elephant record, a Charmander pillow that matched the squirtle and pickachu ones that my siblings and I had ordered from JCPenney in the nineties, a very carefully and methodically seasoned cast iron skillet, a drone and laptop that held National Geographic- level quality footage of dolphins he’d captured over the ocean at the beach. But the most important thing to Aaron was his cat Lily. She was one of two flowers in what he called “his bouquet”. The bouquet that made Aaron happier than I’d ever seen him. Lily was a family cat that we had all lived with for over ten years in our family home but Aaron was always her favorite. She spent all of her time in his room, laying on her special pillow on the back of one of his vintage couches so she could look out the window. When he moved into his new apartment, Lily would just lay on the floor in his empty room at my parents house. She was always a nervous girl, and Aaron didn’t want to uproot her from the home she was used to if that’s not what she wanted. But it became crystal clear very soon that Lily’s only true home was Aaron and she was happier than she ever was in her whole life when he brought her to live with him at his new place. She became a whole new cat and started playing and loving and acting like a kitten again despite being nearly 12. My family could not believe it when Aaron told us that his amazing girlfriend (also named Lily) was able to pick up and hold and snuggle Lily the cat when her own family hadn't dared try to pick her up in the preceding decade. Aaron and Lily were her soul people. She was my brother’s soul cat. They had a bond that is once in a lifetime. Lily wasn’t fond of other people or animals, but even she immediately recognized and connected to the deep goodness and safety of Aaron and his heart. She knew he was special and once in a lifetime too. He and Lily deserved at least a decade of happiness together in that apartment that he loved so much and was so proud of.

Even in the face of losing nearly everything, Aaron immediately said how grateful he was that his favorite pillow and blanket had been at his girlfriend Lily’s house the night of the fire along with a single bag of his clothes that were about to go in the laundry. Nothing can replace his sentimental possessions, the home he loved, or the pet he lost. This is a terrible tragedy and he deserves the chance to rebuild his life and reclaim his happiness and peace of mind. Please consider donating to help Aaron rebuild the life he lost, loved, and deserved. Nothing can make this right but hopefully we can help make it better. For Aaron. And for his sweet girl- Lily Crane “Lizard” “Lilypad “ Meissner Smith ❤️