Saturday morning, my siblings and I received news that our mother had passed. This was unexpected.

For most of this year, our family has been navigating an incredibly difficult season. My mother had to stop working earlier this year as she prepared for and underwent multiple surgeries. During that time, I stepped in to help cover her expenses while continuing to pay my own bills and support my younger brother, who is currently an undergraduate student at Xavier University.

When my mother had surgery in August, she actually suggested to me three separate times that I start a GoFundMe to help with the financial burden. Each time, I told her no. I believed I could continue figuring it out and doing whatever was necessary to make sure our family was okay.

I never imagined that two months later, I would be creating one because she was no longer here.

My mother had exhausted much of her financial resources while she was unable to work and had fallen behind on some bills. With her passing, our family is now facing not only the immediate expenses that come with losing a parent, but also the reality of figuring out how to move forward without the financial support, guidance and stability she provided.

One of my greatest concerns right now is making sure my siblings are okay. (Kloey 23 years old and Matthew 21 years old) My younger brother is still completing his undergraduate degree, and I know that many of the responsibilities my mother carried will now fall to me. I want to make sure that, in the middle of grieving our mother, my siblings do not also have to worry about whether they will have the financial support they need to continue moving forward.

Asking for help has never been easy for me. Maybe that's why I told my mother no those three times when she encouraged me to do this before. But right now, I know that taking care of my family also means allowing our community to help carry some of this weight with us.

If you are able to contribute, no amount is too small, and we are incredibly grateful. If you aren't able to give, sharing this fundraiser with others would mean just as much.

Thank you for loving our mother, loving our family, and supporting us during the most difficult time of our lives.