Remembering Gyra Adly: Help Us Spread Awareness

Dear family, friends and supporters,

Our hearts are shattered as we share the devastating loss of our beloved sister, daughter, and niece Gyra.

On February 15, 2025, Gyra was found unconscious while riding on BART from San Francisco to Berkeley. A fellow passenger noticed she wasn’t breathing and called for help. The train was stopped at the 12st station in Oakland, where CPR was administered by bystanders to no avail while waiting for EMTs. Paramedics arrived 15 minutes later, managed to restore her heartbeat, and transported her to Summit hospital on a ventilator.

After nearly a week in the ICU, Gyra was declared brain dead and is currently being kept on life support for organ donation.

Gyra had a very difficult upbringing with her parents separating early on and raised by a single mom and with her father living abroad. She and her younger sister attended high school in Concord and it was there that they were introduced to drugs as way to fit in with peers.

Despite these challenges, Gyra was bright and talented. She was an amazing singer with dreams of competing on The Voice and America’s Got Talent, auditioning multiple times and even being selected to compete. She did well academically and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Cal State Hayward, with aspirations of becoming a physician assistant or attending medical school. Unfortunately, as her struggles with addiction worsened, it became increasingly difficult for her to stay on that path. Eventually, she became separated from her mother and sister, experiencing homelessness, battling substance abuse, and facing legal troubles along the way.

Her sister and other family members tried many times to intervene and help her seek treatment, but recovery is never a simple journey. Along the way, she found herself in dangerous situations. Struggling with addiction and homelessness, she was often surrounded by others facing similar hardships. In one tragic incident, a friend with an apparent grudge deliberately ran her over with a car as she was leaving a Target store a few years ago. The attack left her with a broken hip and legs, requiring the insertion of metal rods to stabilize her injuries. After being released from the hospital, she was supposed to return for surgery to remove the rods, but due to her unstable living situation, she never did. This led to a sever infection and blood clots that nearly claimed her life and put her at risk of losing her legs. Miraculously, she recovered and was able to walk again, but the lasting damage caused chronic pain and recurring blood clots in her legs. As her condition worsened, she increasingly turned to fentanyl to manage this pain.

Despite the hardships she faced, Gyra never asked anyone for help or handouts. She found ways to survive on her own, even supporting her mother, who was also struggling with addiction and homelessness, when no one else would.

In recent years, she worked hard to overcome many of her dependencies, using fentanyl primarily to manage the chronic pain that often became unbearable. She even managed to do volunteer work as a Peer Advocate at a Hospitality House and the Woman’s Daytime Drop-in Center for the homeless.

Tragically, her life was cut short when she was exposed to a lethal dose of fentanyl purchased on the street.

When we arrived at the hospital and stood by her bedside, we expected to see a body worn down by homelessness and addiction. Instead, Gyra lay peacefully, her appearance untouched by the hardships she had faced. This sight filled us with unimaginable pain, grief, and guilt, wondering if we could have done more for her. This is a pain we wouldn’t wish on anyone, and we ask for the compassion of our community as we navigate this heartbreaking time. When reflecting on her life, we hope that people will recognize that life is complicated. Many are faced with unforeseen challenges, and families like ours do the best we can in situations that feel impossible.

We are raising funds to cover her funeral expenses and honor her memory by spreading awareness about homelessness and substance use disorders. These heartbreaking issues affect countless families, not just our own.

Gyra was a devout Christian and attended church for prayer whenever she could. In difficult times, she found strength in her faith and held tightly to scripture:

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." – Psalm 34:18

If you feel moved to contribute, we are deeply grateful for any support. Your support, whether through a donation, sharing this page to raise awareness, or keeping our family in your thoughts, brings us comfort during this difficult time.

With gratitude and love,

Sara, Starla, Camran, Bejan, Dariush, Bahram, Babak

Update:

Nearly 2 weeks after being admitted, on February 27th, 2025 at 10:30PM Gyra was wheeled off from ICU to the Operating Room one last time and given a hero’s

send-off from many of the hospital's doctors, nurses and staff as she was taken off life support for organ donation. The operation took nearly four hours, during which her lungs, liver and kidneys were recovered for immediate transplant. Her liver was gifted to a gentleman who was on the verge of passing, his life saved by the simultaneous transplant.

We are truly heartbroken and wish we could have done more for her. Yet, we recognize that human life is deeply interconnected and sometimes, in order for one life to be saved, another must be given. For one to awaken, another must sleep.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."-John

15:13

We thank everyone for their support and generous donations in honoring Gyra and her worthy cause.