On Thursday, February 23rd, the world lost an artistic, sweet, witty, hilarious kid -- Kaylee Paredes.
Kaylee was the oldest daughter of Gabe Paredes and Lisa Smith and step-mom Monica Topping, sister to Isabella and Alton. She was a friend to so many. She had gathered many friends from school, having attended Cutten and Ridgewood, South Bay, and Eureka High School. She is greatly missed by all.
Kaylee would have celebrated her 15th birthday the week following her passing.
Kaylee was born early, at only 27 weeks, her tiny little organs not quite ready to function in the outside world. She spent a lot of time in the hospital, getting ready to breathe and pump blood. Heartbreakingly, on Monday, February 20th, her lungs did stop and she left this world three days later at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland.
Friends are gathering funds for a few purposes:
- To help the family pay living expenses while they grieve in the weeks following Kaylee's death,
- To fund a memorial service and memory books honoring Kaylee,
- To start a fund to provide art grants for youth in Kaylee's name.
Below are just a few examples of Kaylee's work -- she was a very talented artist. In 2014, she participated in North Coast Open Studios for her first time, selling and exhibiting her art, and was already putting together her plans for this year's event.
Pretty brave for a young teenager.
THANK YOU for helping Kaylee's family and for remembering her.
Kaylee was the oldest daughter of Gabe Paredes and Lisa Smith and step-mom Monica Topping, sister to Isabella and Alton. She was a friend to so many. She had gathered many friends from school, having attended Cutten and Ridgewood, South Bay, and Eureka High School. She is greatly missed by all.
Kaylee would have celebrated her 15th birthday the week following her passing.
Kaylee was born early, at only 27 weeks, her tiny little organs not quite ready to function in the outside world. She spent a lot of time in the hospital, getting ready to breathe and pump blood. Heartbreakingly, on Monday, February 20th, her lungs did stop and she left this world three days later at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland.
Friends are gathering funds for a few purposes:
- To help the family pay living expenses while they grieve in the weeks following Kaylee's death,
- To fund a memorial service and memory books honoring Kaylee,
- To start a fund to provide art grants for youth in Kaylee's name.
Below are just a few examples of Kaylee's work -- she was a very talented artist. In 2014, she participated in North Coast Open Studios for her first time, selling and exhibiting her art, and was already putting together her plans for this year's event.
Pretty brave for a young teenager.
THANK YOU for helping Kaylee's family and for remembering her.