Help Irene Wendel's Sister Pay For Travel Expenses

PLEASE NOTE: The money from this fundraiser is going towards helping the sister of the deceased, Enid Wendel, and her family, to recover from the costs of traveling across the country to see her dying sister for the final time. It is not going towards any funeral or other burial proceedings, as those have already been handled by other parties.

Irene Wendel was just about 3 months away from her 35th birthday, when she tragically passed away on February 25th due to sepsis, which started from a UTI.

Irene was always an amazing friend to me and my girlfriend. I knew her since I was in 8th grade, and she knew my girlfriend for even longer, since elementary school. She was sickly since birth- born with Spina Bifuda, amongst a slew of other medical issues, she always had little hope of living a "normal life", and was often in need of medical attention. Her father passed when they were young, and she, along with her twin sister, Enid, were brought up by their aunt, whom they called "mom".

But even so, through that hardship, she always opened her heart to others, and was kind and generous to anyone who would interact with her. She was truly one of the few people I'd call my best friends during that time. A few years after, she and her adoptive mother would move to Florida, and we fell in and out of communication for a while, but when we did talk, she always made it known that she wanted to go back "home", to Long Island, where she was raised.

Eventually, they were able to return to New York, and she was so happy to be back. Unfortunately, her adoptive mother would pass away in late 2022, and Irene would be interred in an assisted living center, where her medical needs could be addressed in her mother's absence. It was during that time that my girlfriend and I spent much time with her, as she didn't get many other visitors, and she always appreciated everything we could do for her.

She was truly an incredible person, and shared with me not long before her passing her hopes and plans of starting up a YouTube channel, where she would try to share her experiences and challenges as a disabled person with the world, and asked me for any help I could offer, once she was ready. She loved dogs, movies, and boy bands.

When she fell ill for the final time, and the doctors said the situation was dire, her twin sister and half-siblings were able to assemble at the hospital she ended up in. Specifically, her sister, brother-in-law, and their children, traveled by car from Florida to New York to be able to say their goodbyes, as flights on such short notice were unavailable, and spent most of what they had in savings on travel expenses, such as gas, hotel, and a rental vehicle, as well as missed out on a week of work. Thankfully, they all made it in time to do so, but now they are struggling, and would appreciate help.

Irene loved her sister, as much as she did everyone who she called family.

We hope that, through this fundraiser, we can help her sister in her stead, one final time.