On August 5, our world was shattered when my dad unexpectedly passed away in his sleep at just 52 years old. It’s hard to even put into words / explain how much we are hurting. It’s an extreme pain that I can’t describe. My dad’s greatest wish was always that we would be loved, cared for, and never have to worry about anything.

Over the last 18, 19 years, my dad taught us so much. A lot. He loved sharing many stories about his past, his friends, his childhood times & stories that made us laugh a lot. We would love to hear stories from any of his friends, because he often thought no one would care if he passed. I don’t know why. He carried feelings of hopelessness and had such a low sense of self-worth and I could never understand why, because to us, he was amazing. He has no idea truly how many people care about him.

He endured a lot of pain in this life, both mentally and physically, but through it all, he always stayed strong for us & he really did love the Lord with all his heart. This past year unfortunately has already brought so much loss for our family. We already said goodbye to three dogs total months apart in 2024 & 2025. My uncle (my dad’s brother) passed just over a year ago. This is something I would have never imagined in my life. It feels like a nightmare. I can’t describe the deep aching pain we’re going through right now. My mom has been working hard to make ends meet, but it’s been overall hard.

My dad really was my best friend, & my hero. He was the rock of my family. He raised us along with my mom, and he taught me a lot. He put in so much work for our family over the years. I have so many memories of things/activities and we would do together. How funny he was. He was everything to me, my sister and my mom. He ALWAYS listened with an big heart. He told us several times that if anything ever happened to him, we can’t stray from God, we shouldn’t live in sadness, and to continue living life to the fullest. He always said to live on regardless, for him. I want to live on for him but I can’t tell you how hard we’re struggling through this. Now I’m not sure how to move forward, I can’t grasp it nor imagine the rest of my life without him. I really wanted him to see our futures and see him grow older. He always wanted to get that chance to grow old to see our grandkids. I know he is at peace now but it is a constant aching pain everyday for us that are here to try to grasp the fact that he’s not here anymore.

With my dad’s passing, his income has stopped. My sister and I are looking for work/jobs, and were planning for them but right now we just want to be able to manage our finances and keep our family stable during this extremely devastating time. If anyone feels open to contribute to this fund, it would mean so much. We also appreciate prayers more than you know. Your generosity will help us & allow us to cover our essential expenses and give us a bit of stability as we try to navigate life without him. My dad meant the world to us. Thank you so much.