Honoring Cicely & Selin’s “Home for the Community”

A week after returning home from the hospital to enter hospice, our beloved Cicely died peacefully in her sleep early in the morning of Monday September 9th. She was surrounded by family and loved ones.

We are reeling from this enormous loss, which came so much more quickly than anyone expected.

As you know if you’re reading this, Cicely and Selin had big plans for their home together. Even while hospitalized, Cicely was talking about the future of the house, concerned that we do what we can to ensure that her and Selin’s dream of not only creating a home for themselves, but creating a space that was truly for the community, could be realized.

Cicely expressed that she wanted Selin to have whatever support possible to keep and steward the house. While it will take time to lay the foundations, there are talks and plans to utilize Cicely’s room as a community space which can provide a meeting point, a classroom, a library, and other projects that will continue to honor Cicely’s legacy.

Cicely and Selin had made so much progress in the house, but there remains much more to be done. And with Cicely’s passing there has been a sudden shift in financial need and stability.

We are asking for you to support, circulate and donate this campaign as much as you are able. These funds are deeply needed. They will help to secure the future of the house, cover some of the costs of Cicely’s cremation, and alleviate some of the financial burden to give Selin the very necessary time to grieve.

Cicely loved her home with Selin so much, and we hope that you will help us in securing the future of this space. We are heartbroken that this is not the future we had dreamed of for them, but know that Cicely’s spirit and laughter will continue to be celebrated and memorialized in her loving home and community.

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From Cicely:

Me and my long-time bestie Selin have spent a lot of time over the years daydreaming about living together in a house of our own; it felt completely impossible, between my being on a fixed income and us having no idea how we'd get a down payment together. Fast forward to the end of 2022, when I found out that I'd have to go back into heavy-duty, lose all my hair, TV-style chemo because cancer convinced my liver it would be cool to grow a big tumor; even worse, the chemo would be indefinite, with no end date in sight (...still)

Desperate times called for desperate measures; though it didn't *feel* any more possible, we decided to contact our friend Nikole at Two Rivers Mortgage and see if it might be less futile than what it seemed. Turns out it was--we began looking at the end of August 2023, and finally found a house that suited us down to the ground (thanks high interest rates)! It's older than either one of us, so you know what that means--it means the plumbing had to be entirely re-done, and there's a bunch of electrical issues, and my bathroom had carpet in it (which had a Moment where it was The Choice) and and and...it means we're here asking people to share our GoFundMe widely, and/or pitch in whatever they can, as they love us and in lieu of housewarming gifts (we can live with the same furniture and dishes we've had the last 20 years...)

Thanks in advance for loving me so well and so supportively and so steadfastly--that love is the true gift, and is always so tangible, regardless of whether you give another penny (but if it just so happens you got rich friends...tell them to break bread!)