If you’re reading this, then you already know how special Nikki was. She was the rare, one-of-a-kind human that unfortunately always seem to leave this earth too soon. She was so beautiful—I was always fending off my friends who wanted to hang out with my big sister. She was so caring and generous she would give an unfortunate soul her last dollar, no questions asked, if she felt he was hungry or anything. That was Nikki, and if you knew her then you already know what I'm talking about. She had this unbelievable energy and aura that just shined so bright and lit up everyone’s life around her.

She unfortunately started fighting demons about three years ago, and even though we all knew something could happen, we weren’t prepared. Maybe, just maybe, she would walk through those front doors one last time and sit next to me and say, 'Hi brudder.' Nikki Smith was my big sister, and she loved animals so much she believed she had an unseen connection with them. Me and her were so close, and no matter where or what she was doing, she would stop it all to be with her little brother. She protected me, shielded me from family drama or her relationship drama. Nobody could even attempt to pick on me or anything when she was around. She was a hippy at her core with her own style that just made her so special and unique. I was the baby brother, she was the middle child, and our elder sibling wasn’t always the nicest to us, but she always stood up for me and sometimes would take a butt whooping for stepping in, but her little brother was her everything. She taught me so much I couldn’t even write it all down. Some of my best memories are with Nikki and our mother just laughing even through the toughest times. We could always find a joke in the most serious situations. She loved my daughter, her niece, so much—it was the most amazing feeling. She loved her two step nephews just as much, even though they weren’t blood.

We need help getting her home from California, getting cremated there, and having her brought home to Montana so we can have a celebration of life for her. We are a low class family and these things are not cheap. It will help us so much—we can barely afford our bills, let alone this untimely death in the family. We have to send funds to California for the coroner, and soon they will charge us storage fees for her remains still being in California. The support will help the whole family just breathe and grieve without having to worry about all these expenses. None of us can afford anything, and it was so untimely we are so financially drained. Any support from our community would mean the world to us. Your help will allow us to honor Nikki's memory and grieve without the added stress of these expenses.