Help Her Rebuild After Tragedy

It's hard to believe I am even on here telling this story...but sadly, it's not a story...it's someone's life. My best friends life to be exact.

Because she is such a prideful person, she shall remain nameless to preserve her dignity and respect. If she knew I had gone to "go fund me" and told her story, I think she would be pretty furious; however, I think people would want to help her after hearing what this wonderful, courageous, and generous woman has gone through in the last year in a half of her life.

My best friend is everyone's friend. No, seriously. Everyone she comes into contact with absolutely loves this woman. She's like a ray of sunshine. She is the woman who always says hello and good morning at work. She always has a smile on her face, no matter if she is having a good day or a bad day. She will stop and give you a hug just because. She's the woman who will bring you in a coffee just because she was thinking of you while she was getting herself one.

Let's not talk about how giving she is. This woman is a middle class woman working on a middle class budget. She makes enough to get by, but loves to give. One of her favorite times of year is Christmas. Refusing to max out credit cards, she saves her money and will splurge on co-workers. It's no even that she buys them expensive things, but it's what she buys them that is amazing. She takes the time to get to know each and everyone she works with because she cares. One co-worker she worked with was in love with Harry Potter. So, that Christmas she went out and purchased a few things that were "Harry Potter" themed. When the co-worker opened them she was thrown off and surprised. She asked my best friend, "How did you know?" My best friend said, "I listened." See, that's the thing about my best friend...she really cares.

My best friend was lucky enough to find true love at 14 years old. Her and her husband were true soulmates. They lived a wonderful life and had 3 precious children, two girls and one boy. My best friend was the perfect mother. She took care of those children and her husband so very well. The children grew up, all got careers, all three had children, two got married and both my best friend and her husband couldn't have been any more proud.

My best friend and her husband were even more in love than when they were as kids. It was kind of sickening if you ask me. I'm just kidding!

Here we are now and it's finally January 2024 and where the story is about to take a turn and why I am reaching out via "go fund me" for help.

Really early in the morning I missed a phone call from my best friend. Then I get awoken from an email. My best friend's husband has died. Wait, what? I immediately call my best friend and I am panicking and I am thinking this is a horrible mistake. She answers the phone and is crying and says, "yes, ---- has died." I asked what happened and she said he stopped breathing and she wasn't sure of the details. She thought maybe a heart attack. I'm thinking this isn't really happening. I mean the man is only 55 years old. How can she lose her husband? The love of her life? What is she going to do? How is she going to survive? How can I help her? No autopsy is preformed due to the matter of death being ruled a heart attack.

A few days later after the dust has settled and my best friend is going through the financials that her husband has always taken care of, she discovers that there is NO life insurance on either of them. Now she is panicking about how she is going to afford to bury her husband. Thankfully family and friends came to the rescue and she was able to have a nice service and cremation. I truly believe that it was because of who my best friend is that made that possible. I've always said, "when you put kindness out, kindness comes back to you."

Financially since the death of my best friend's husband, she has struggled. She is now responsible for everything on her own. In this economy today, it's rough. Food, gas, rent, utilities, clothes, etc. She's living paycheck to paycheck. Luckily she was still able to stay and afford where her and her husband were living. She even went back to work after 10 days! What woman do you know who is grieving goes back to work after their husband dies in 10 days? Her co workers were shocked. They were like, "is she ok? Why is she here?" She said to me that she can't stay in that apartment by herself crying her eyes out all day long and that it's better for her to be around a support system like her co workers. Plus, she needs to work to make money to survive on. If you ask me, it's a shame.

Mentally since the death of her husband, she is doing better but will never ever be the same as she was with him. There is something about losing your soulmate that you just don't get over and to add to the fact that she had been with him since the age of 14.

My best friend has been doing better mostly due to the fact of her friends and family. She has often said if it weren't for her friends, she probably wouldn't be in the state she is today. She is thankful for her children for stepping up and especially her son. Her son was mostly impacted by losing his dad. He knew that he was going to have to step up and be the man that his mother needed.

My best friend's son was around a lot since his father had passed. My best friend really relied upon him because he reminded her a lot of her husband, plus that was her baby! Thanksgiving 2024 was just around the corner and it was his favorite holiday! He couldn't wait to have his mother's home cooked food and he was down to pitch in on the cost of the food knowing that his momma was having a hard time with financials. I remember it was early November and my best friend was really upset. Her son was admitted to the hospital. I was like, "well let me know what's going on." She was like, "I will." Apparently he had some fluid around his is heart and they were treating him for that. My best friend was beside herself because all she could see was her husband all over again. She called me and I was like, "that hospital is not gonna let you lose him. You will not lose him!" A day later her son got discharged home. I had asked my best friend how he was doing and she said he was still not right. I told her that he needed to go back to the hospital and not to mess around with anything that deals with the heart. It wasn't but a day or two later that my best friend calls me and says that her son had died. I am not lying. She said her son had died. I could not believe my ears. I was like, "---- are you serious??? What the heck is happening? What happened?" She said they thought it was a heart attack or something.

Now this is 10 months after her husband has died, her son had died.

Her son was married with two children. The hospital would not perform an autopsy unless it was a homicide or considered suspicious. The family would have to pay out of pocket if they wanted to pursue the autopsy route. My best friend did not have money to pay for this because she was just making ends meet. This would be in the thousands and thousands of dollars. So, his wife's family went ahead and paid the money to have the autopsy preformed because they believed it was something congenital that if known could have been monitored.

Here we go again. Another funeral. How much more can my best friend take. Not even a year since her husband's death and she is burying a son. How is she is standing? How is she not having thoughts of wanting to leaving this earth to? I just don't have words.

It's now summer of 2025. My best friend is visiting her daughter. She has someone house-sitting for her. You know...checking on the plants, collecting mail, etc. My best friend calls the house-sitter and asks her to open a piece of mail.

My best friend sends me a text message image. I look at it. I'm like, "hold up, wait a minute." I call her immediately. She's crying. She's crying a lot.

My best friend's apartment building was sold to a private developer and they are giving everyone 3 months to vacate and find a new place to live. Apparently the new "landlord" is remodeling the building and can't do that with tenants living there.

So now my best friend who is still mentally and financially dealing with the losses of her husband and son has to deal with this. Where is she suppose to come up with the first, last and security deposit for this new place? How is she suppose to hire movers? She is one person, one woman living on a fixed income, by HERSELF because her husband and son were taken too soon from her. She obviously can't move herself out of her 2nd floor apartment. She has no funds for this. This is why I am reaching out to Go Fund Me. I need the help of any and everyone that can help. My best friend is as self-less as they come. She would give her last dollar to a person in need, but you better believe she wouldn't take yours. That's just the kind of person my best friend is. Right now, she needs help in the worst kind of way and I'm gonna be her voice in asking for it.