Help Kharissa with final expenses

Mellina Lathe is organizing this fundraiser.

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This is Kharissa; she is my friend. my best friend. I consider her like a sister to me. She is losing her battle against a very aggressive and rare form of sarcoma, called leiomyosarcoma. It is a resistant cancer, generally not very responsive to chemotherapy or radiation. Life expectancy is 2-3 years with treatment, if caught early. She's stage 4.

We met in 2007; she was a quiet, quirky lady. We bonded over our love of things geek, and through our shared spirituality. She's the kind of friend everyone hopes for at least once in their life. She never expects anything and asks for nothing. Every day she messages me with "Sissy!!!" and a smile. She's been my rock through some tough times, and always has words of encouragement or a funny to make me smile. She moved to Michigan a few years back and we've been talking about a visit ever since. We talked about visiting Mackinack Island and making it a girls road trip. She wants to have dinner at Blackrock, because they have the best dinner, one big pricey dinner to celebrate life together. All these plans, that both of us have scrimped and saved to make happen, but each of us had other life needs arise which required those savings. We still made plans; we thought there would be more time.

The first step chemo hasn't helped, and the second step chemo has only a 15-20% chance to extend her life another 15 months, according to her doctors. The cancer is spreading fast, and because of this terrible disease, we don't have the luxury of time, nor do we have the funds to travel to see each other. In a recent update, she decided to not have any more chemo. It was this latest news, and through the love and encouragement of friends that I decided to send out this urgent request for help. She would never ask, so I am asking for both of us. We need your help to get me to her, for one last hoorah, for to celebrate her life, while it's still within reach. We need your help so that I can be with my her through this final part of her life journey.

My goal is to cover airfare expenses, a rental car, food for two weeks, petrol, and an emergency buffer or any "just in case" things, especially if I can get her to some places if she can manage it. We really want this visit to happen but we need your help so I can be there for her. ANY amount you can give will be greatly appreciated. Your help would mean the world to us.