Reunite a Family Torn Apart by Tragedy

Hello, my name is Avonley Lightstone, and I’m writing to you with a heart full of hope, vulnerability, and determination.

When I was just 3 years old, my life changed forever in the most unimaginable way.

A fire broke out in our home in India while my mom was cooking. I tried to save her life by hugging my mom. My father—unresponsive and intoxicated—was unable to help. After that tragedy, overwhelmed by grief and guilt, he sent four of his children to the orphanage.

We were scattered. We lost our mother. We lost our family. We lost each other.

Three of us were adopted into a home where we suffered not only the trauma of separation, but years of physical, emotional, and mental abuse. For a long time, I carried those scars silently—until I wrote my book, Strength of Scars, as a way to begin healing.

I’ve lived my life trying to make peace with the past. And now, my greatest wish is to reunite our family—not only for me, but for my siblings, for my children, and for the soul of a family that was never meant to be broken.

My father, though he has asked to never see us again, lives with immense guilt. I want to go back to India—to find him if I can—and tell him face-to-face: “I forgive you. I hold no anger, only compassion.”

I want him to live the rest of his days in peace, knowing his children found their way back to love.

My parents had 9 children. 4 were adopted out. We are trying to reunite all of us, and bring our entire extended family—17 people in total—to India to rediscover our roots, our history, and one another. Some of us have never met. Some are still missing. But we believe that love can find a way.

The Goals is $85,000. As we move forward with seeking our family, it's possible that we will come across expenses we never thought would exist. Every donation is appreciated. Thank you!