Help Sisters Unite after Loss

My mother, Shelia Ann Chapman, passed away on April 15, 2025, after a two-month-long battle with sepsis and stage 4 small cell carcinoma. She had just gotten married a few weeks prior to her hospitalization in February. Since her passing, my family has had to go through many sudden shifts and trials. As I live a state away from everyone else and have been the primary one handling affairs, it has been immensely difficult. Thankfully, we were able to raise enough money with a previous GoFundMe to cover travel expenses, living expenses, funeral, and memorial expenses through the past few months. Now, my family still seeks help to unite me and my 16-year-old sister, for whom I am now the sole caretaker, under one roof. We are currently stuck living in separate states. She is under the care of my stepdad, so she is safe, but I need to be a more direct support for her in order for her to thrive.

I do not qualify for any personal loans, which has forced us to shift our plans and goals. We have lost a significant portion of family income through my mother's passing and the temporary complication of federal benefits for my sister. We have very little to work with, and not a lot of time, so we can't quite manage a full-household move right now. I intend to bring my sister to live with me here in Missouri as soon as possible. My one-bedroom apartment cannot accommodate all three of us, so for now, I can only bring my sister. My stepdad may choose to move with us to MO at a later time when we can manage those resources/find a bigger place. He can stay where he is for the time being, though he will have to move to a smaller unit when one becomes available.

What I need most urgently is to cover one train ticket to TX, living expenses while there for around a week, funds to make sure bills are still paid while I take the time off, and gas money to pay someone to drive us back from TX to MO with as many of my sister and mother's belongings as possible.

We will need support beyond this, but it is hard to identify all of those needs at this time. I've raised the donation goal to be higher than what I need to go "rescue" my sister, as we are consistently struggling to pay bills and cover groceries for both households and have many other hurdles to jump in the near future; anything helps. As my mother's vehicle was repossessed and the family is left without transportation in a rural area, they are having to rely on delivery services for groceries and goods and aren't able to visit the food banks in the area. Eventually, we will need to replace that vehicle.

We have struggled through a lot, but we have felt so blessed by the community through those who have reached out to us, friend and stranger alike. We as a family are longing to be together and settled so we can more properly grieve the loss of our loved one, without the stress of insecurity weighing upon us daily. Thank you from our heart of hearts for anything you can give to support us.

Best,

Amber