Hurricane Relief Fund for Kay

This GoFundMe is being organized by the P3 class at Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy to raise funds for our classmate and friend, Kayshalla, known as Kay to us.
 
Kay is in her third year of Pharmacy School here in Johnson City but she’s originally from around Freeport, Grand Bahama in the Bahamas. She’s a single mom to two kiddos, an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy. They are the only family she has here in the United States. The remainder of her family is still living in the Bahamas. If you’ve been following recent news, then you’ve seen the devastation that has swept through the Bahamas with Hurricane Dorian. Kay’s family, there and here, have been impacted by this tragedy in major ways. Her brother, who was living on Abaco Island, has lost everything he owns. He had to evacuate the island as it was completely demolished with debris and human remains everywhere. It is uninhabitable as there is no water, power, shelter, etc. He is now staying in Nassau with some of their family. Her mother’s home took on a lot of water, so she is not able to live there anymore. She’s been staying in hotels, but this is told this is no longer an option and she is having to find friends to stay with until a more permanent solution is in place. Along with the turmoil her family in the Bahamas is facing, Kay is experiencing her own here in the United States. As an international student, she is not able to qualify for federal student loans meaning she pays out of pocket for tuition, rent, utility bills, groceries, necessary items for her children, etc. Up until this point she has had the assistance of her family as well as an online boutique whose main shoppers were from her home. However, due to the current situation these things are no longer viable sources of income. It is our hope to provide Kay with the basic things she needs here and the things her family needs back home.
Kay is one of the kindest souls I have ever had the chance to meet and interact with and her compassion for others shines through always. There is never a time I see her when she doesn’t have a smile and an encouraging word to share. Even in the midst of the chaos that is going on around her she said she is seeing this as a “season” of life and is hopeful that things will improve. While we know no monetary amount can replace things lost or relieve the burden she feels not being at her home to support her family, we hope to assist her in any way we can.