In Loving Memory of Dakota – Gone Too Soon

Hi everyone,

Last night, June 2, 2025 our world shattered.

Our beautiful baby cousin, Dakota - daughter of Seng Saechao & Ana Stacy Saephanh. Sister of Aspen Saechao passed away in her sleep without warning, taken from us far too soon. She had just turned 17 on May 13th. Seventeen. She was only just beginning.

There are no words that can fully carry the weight of this loss. No language that can do justice to a spirit as gentle, as vibrant, as irreplaceable as hers.

None of us were ready for this. No one ever could be.

Dakota was one of those people who made life feel a little softer. A little warmer. She was quiet, but never distant. Funny, but never mean. She had this way of making people feel comfortable just by being herself.

Dakota gave love to everyone, to her family, to her friends near and far, to her online gaming community. She had the rarest gift: she made people feel safe. Seen. Loved for exactly who they were.

Losing her like this... there are no words big enough for what it feels like. It doesn’t feel real. And now we’re trying to figure out how to say goodbye when we never imagined we’d have to.

We are reaching out in this time of unbearable grief to ask for help to give Dakota the memorial she deserves. To honor her life, her light, her love. The funds raised will go directly toward her funeral costs, help bring her home to California from Shanghai and to help ease the weight for her parents and loved ones as we navigate this pain.

If you can donate, we are beyond grateful. If you can’t, please consider sharing this with others who might. And above all, please keep Dakota and her family in your thoughts.

We love you so much, Dakota. We always will.