Hi, my name is Serene, and with a heavy heart, I’m asking for help during what has been the most devastating moment of me and my sister's lives.

Saturday June 14th, our mother took her final breath peacefully, and surrounded by love. She was only 63, and she was our entire world. My older sister Antwané and I (ages 24 and 26) are now left navigating not only our overwhelming grief but also the heartbreaking reality that we cannot afford to give her the burial she always wanted and deeply deserved.

Our mom was a warrior. For the last two and a half years, she fought breast cancer with everything she had — all while also living with MS, skin cancer, bone cancer and many more health conditions. She endured more pain than anyone should ever have to bear, and yet she never stopped smiling. She never stopped loving. She never stopped giving.

Even in the midst of her battles, she served as a chaplain and a pastor, showing up for others with grace and strength, even on days she could barely stand.

She was the kind of woman who would pray with a stranger in the grocery store, give her last dollar to someone in need, or hold your hand through your darkest hour. She had a light that could cut through the deepest dark.

But behind all that strength was someone who struggled quietly. Due to her health, she couldn’t keep a life insurance policy. She was too busy surviving and giving, never having the chance to prepare for what came next.

Our mom always spoke about how important it was to her to be buried and not cremated. It was a wish that came from her soul, rooted in her faith, her beliefs, and the way she viewed this life and the next. And now, we’re heartbroken that we don’t have the means to honor that final, sacred wish.

We’re humbly reaching out to ask for your help. If you’re able to donate, no matter the amount, it would mean the world to us. Every dollar will go toward funeral expenses, so we can give our mother the farewell she deserves. If you can’t donate, we completely understand, and we ask for your prayers and your help in sharing this.

She was a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a spiritual leader and above all, a beacon of unconditional love. We just want to send her home with the dignity and grace she gave to everyone else throughout her life.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping us carry this impossible weight.

With all our love and gratitude,

Serene and Antwane Lewis