Help Sonia’s Family Be There for Her

Sonia Exelby tragically had her life stolen from her in Florida.

Sonia was a beautiful, gentle and incredibly kind soul. She was a talented musician, with a deep sensitivity and an enormous capacity for compassion and empathy.

Sonia struggled with her mental health, and she knew from her own experiences how difficult life could sometimes be. But Sonia was passionate about using the challenges and experiences she had faced to help others. She wanted people who were struggling to feel understood, supported and, most importantly, to know that they were not alone.

Her struggles were only one part of her story. Sonia was so much more than the difficulties she faced. She was a loving sister, aunt, daughter, family member and friend. She was compassionate, empathetic and deeply caring, and she had a real desire to make a difference in the lives of other people. She had so much life ahead of her, and she did not deserve to have her life taken from her in this way.

Our family is devastated and completely heartbroken. Sonia has left a huge hole in all of our lives, and our lives have been changed forever.

My name is Gemma, and I am one of Sonia’s sisters. There are 9 of Sonia’s closest family members who desperately want to travel to Florida for the trial this November. This includes Sonia’s siblings, our partners, who we feel are necessary for the emotional support we will need, and some of Sonia’s nieces who desperately want to be there for their aunt.

None of us want to be going to a trial.

We know that being there will be extremely distressing and emotionally difficult. But Sonia is our sister, our aunt and someone we love deeply. We feel that we need to be there for her. We need to stand together as a family, support one another and face this incredibly painful experience together.

We simply want to be there for Sonia.

Travelling to Florida is a huge financial commitment, particularly for 1p people. The costs of flights, accommodation, transport, food and other essential expenses quickly become overwhelming. With only 4 of us being able to claim some contributions towards travelling the cost of travelling is still far beyond what our family can comfortably manage.

The financial impact of losing Sonia has also reached far beyond the cost of travelling.

The shock and devastation of what has happened has affected every part of our lives.

At least three members of our family will also lose wages while travelling to and attending the trial. This has created a significant knock-on financial effect for our family at a time when we are already facing the enormous costs of travelling to Florida.

We have been very reluctant to set up a GoFundMe. It is honestly the last thing we ever wanted to do, and asking others for financial help is not something that comes easily to us. But we have reached a point where we have to be realistic. The trial is in November, and without some additional help, some of Sonia’s closest family members simply may not be able to make the journey.

So, with heavy hearts, we are asking for your help.

We are asking for help to allow Sonia’s family to be together during one of the most difficult and distressing experiences we will ever have to face.

We want to stand together for Sonia.

We want to support each other when the trial takes place, and we want to make sure that as many of her closest family members as possible have the opportunity to be there.

Any donation, no matter how small, would mean more to us than we could ever put into words. Every contribution will help towards the flights, accommodation and essential costs of getting Sonia’s family to Florida.

If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing Sonia’s fundraiser. A share could help us reach someone who is able to make a difference.

We also hope to include links to media coverage about Sonia, so that people can learn more about what happened and, most importantly, about the person Sonia was.

Sonia was loved.

She was gentle, compassionate, empathetic and talented.

She had faced her own struggles, yet wanted to use those experiences to help others.

She was a sister, an aunt, a daughter, a family member and a friend.

She should still be here.

We cannot change what has happened to Sonia, but we can make sure that her family is there for her now.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read Sonia’s story, for remembering her, for sharing her story and for helping us to be there for her.

If donations received exceed the costs of travelling to Florida and any lost wages directly resulting from attending the trial, we will donate any surplus to a mental health charity in Sonia’s honour.

Your kindness and support mean more to our family than we can ever express.

With love,

Sonia’s family

Below are some links for more information on what happened to our beautiful Sonia.

Family tribute released for “truly beautiful” Sonia Exelby from Southsea. | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary https://share.google/dr18KouvwctJDBAcH

The mystery of why Sonia Exelby paid a man to kill her https://share.google/H5kgBxie5AdrfhUjN