Help Kaley Save Her Childhood Home & Honor Her Dad’s Legacy

Hi, my name is Kaley Petersen.

I never thought I’d be writing something like this, but I’m reaching out for help during the most painful and overwhelming chapter of my life.

On December 17th, I lost my dad, my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the only parent I’ve ever known. He was a single father who gave up everything to raise me. He didn’t have health insurance and struggled quietly with health issues he couldn’t afford to treat.

Just three days before he passed, on Saturday, December 14th, I went to his house. I almost never get the chance to visit on Saturdays, but something told me to go. When I saw him, he looked pale, exhausted and unwell. I asked, “Are you okay, Dad? You don’t look good.” He told me he was just tired. I gave him the tightest hug I’ve ever given him. And as I drove away, I looked to the sky and screamed to God, please don’t take him.

That night, I called him on my way home from a trip to Sam’s Club with my family. He told me he loved me, and said, “Goodnight, Wooji.” I didn’t know that would be the last time I’d ever hear his voice.

I found him on the kitchen floor on December 17th. Gone. And since then, I’ve been trying to hold everything together… for my children, for myself, and for him.

On top of funeral costs and legal matters, I’m now fighting to save the home he died in, the home I grew up in, the home filled with every memory of our life together. He worked himself into the ground to keep it, and now I’m doing everything I can to make sure it doesn’t slip away.

I’m only 23 years old, a mom of three, soon to be 4, and I have no family to turn to for help. Everything has fallen on me. But I’m determined to do right by him,

I’m doing everything in my power to save the home he left behind. I even started Woojis Bakery, (named after the nickname my dad gave me), to sell treats and try to raise money to keep his legacy alive. Every treat I bake reminds me of my dad’s love. How he always made the little things feel big, how he showed up with kindness, warmth, and care even when he had nothing left to give. Baking has become my way of staying connected to him… and fighting to keep the place where all those memories were made.

If you can support, even just a little, it would mean more than words can express. Your kindness will help me give him the legacy he deserves, navigate the legal aftermath, and hopefully, hold on to the place that still feels like home.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for being a part of this with me.

With love and gratitude,

Kaley Petersen ~Wooji