Give Lilly & Wes Some Peace (Cremation & Urgent Bills)

Listen, I’m not gonna be able to do this very well, so please just bear with me—

I lost my baby girl this week—writing this, & asking for help is excruciatingly painful.

These fires have reformed/ravaged LA & fundamentally affected people's lives forever—including mine.

Lilly was older & her lungs couldn't handle all of the smoke from the surrounding fires around LA. We rushed her to the Urgent Care, & did everything we could to save her—it was just too much for her. But she was SO brave, never alone once, with several people & doctors trying to help her. Lilly was surrounded by love, kindness & snuggles till the very end.

If you didn’t have the unique honor of knowing her—I’m genuinely sorry for your loss.

I miss her so much… my words don’t do it—my mental & emotional state is thoroughly fucking depleted.

Loved ones suggested that I should put together a GoFundMe in order to pay for Lilly’s cremation & to help recoup the substantial medical costs that stacked up rather quickly which ultimately couldn’t save her while leaving me more financially crippled than I already was. I am now under an excessive amount of debt, & am left unable to cover the cost of bills & utilities.

Finding steady work in this city since the strikes last year has been extremely difficult. In between various bouts of employment, driving with Uber has been my main way of making ends meet, but given all that’s happening in this city, even that right now is next to impossible.

That’s because no one is & no one really should be going out & about, besides for their essential travel & excluding the incredibly courageous firefighters & first responders who are doing everything in their power to save lives & my home, Los Angeles.

So, your contributions will go to veterinarian fees & funeral arrangements for my girl, while also hopefully making a dent in reducing monthly costs & recurring bills as I figure out what to do next.

My genuine gratitude & love goes out to Britt for being my rock through this entire ordeal & Jess, Alex & Ada for helping me put this thing together.

Every other ounce of empathy & well wishes I have left goes out to the many, many others whose lives were also changed forever, the first responders & the wonderful individuals who’ve reached out with their sincere condolences & support.

Most of those who called & texted all provided roughly the same sentiment—“Lilly was more than a dog, she was family & was like a person.”

Your compassion & generosity mean the world to me & many others. Thank you

For the people asking about my Zelle & Venmo for instant relief & support—

Thank you,

Here are those links

https://venmo.com/u/WesCalimer

Message me privately for my phone number for Zelle please if you don’t have Venmo

For those unable to financially contribute, no worries, please share this & more importantly, share any & all memories, condolences or photos of Lilly you might have in the comments below.

PS: Please buy as many air purifiers as you're able to for your pets & loved ones at home.

***Now that we have all of the logistics out of the way, I’m just gonna talk to Lilly now—***

…Little girl, I feared this day for a long time, but I hope I gave you the greatest life imaginable. I will never forget our 6-month cross-country trip with all the adventures we had together before, during & years afterward.

I’ll miss covering you in warm laundry fresh from the dryer, making your day & night beds every day, & sprinkling bacon bits & crispy onions on top of your food to make your meals fancier.

I will never not eat just the edges of chicken nuggets & save the middle bits without thinking of you.

I will be forever grateful for your purely unconditional love. It’s unlike anything else I’ve ever felt & I honestly hope I made you feel that same way, every single day, tenfold, BaBaGirl.

If I’m wrong about the afterlife, I happily await to give you as many ear & belly scratches as you want for eternity when we meet again, but if I’m right about the afterlife, then I’m very thankful that I gave you as many as I did, as often as I did.

You were gentle, you were sassy, & you were truly cherished & adored—you are my soulmate.

I love & miss you, Baby Girl—I’ll feel your presence always.

Rest now, you’ve proven that Guardian Angels don’t have to be just people.

♥️