Help Ease the Burden for Amanda and Sarai

My friend Laurie Lyon was a dynamic, brilliant, and passionate woman. She was dedicated to social justice, fairness, and above all, women's rights. She proudly declared herself a "true-leftist-anarchist-radical-feminist" and was a long-time activist.

Laurie deeply loved her three daughters and instilled in them the same fervor for social awareness, equality, and empowerment that fueled her life.

Laurie also struggled with mental health challenges, which were exacerbated by the loss of her eldest daughter years ago. Despite her relentless efforts, she never recovered from that loss.

In the early morning hours of Friday, May 10, Laurie made the decision to end her years of struggling by ending her life.

I've initiated this GoFundMe on behalf of Laurie's daughters, Amanda and Sarai.

The sudden death of their mom has left Amanda and Sarai in shock and deeply heartbroken. Sarai flew in from California, and they've been commuting back and forth between Bennington and Montpelier almost daily as we take on the painful task of dismantling Laurie's life.

Often, those who make the decision to end their lives are unable to see and feel how deeply they are loved. I've thought multiple times in this last week, "Oh Laurie, if you could only see how much your daughters love you and how devastated they are... if you had only been able to know and feel this, you might not have made this decision." This is one of the most tragic aspects of depression – it blocks the light and power of love and connection.

We are all deeply grieved by this loss.

In order to ease the burden of managing the practicalities following a death, I would like to help the girls with the costs of the cremation, travel expenses for multiple trips between Bennington and Montpelier, and Sarai's travel costs between here and California, including lost wages incurred during her two-week stay.

My goal is to raise $4,200. The funds will be allocated as follows:

*$2,013 for cremation

*$1,100 for Sarai's travel expenses

*The remainder to help compensate for lost wages and expenses for daily commuting

Thank you for your caring and compassion, and for rallying around Amanda and Sarai during this very difficult time.

"The wound is the place where the Light enters you. But sometimes, the wound is too deep, and the Light cannot find its way."

For help with suicidal feelings or thoughts you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Hotline 988 for 24/7 help.