Hi everyone,
I’m writing this on behalf of my dear friend Amanda, who would never ask for help herself—but right now, she truly needs it.
Many of you know and love Lee. You know his strength, his heart, and the way he showed up for the people in his life. What many may not fully see is what Amanda has just walked through beside him—and what she is now facing without him.
Amanda didn’t just lose her partner—she lost her best friend, her person, and the future they were building together. They were inseparable. She was by his side every single day through all of this. The life they were working so hard toward was suddenly taken from her, and learning to live without him has been devastating in ways words can’t fully capture. She misses him deeply—far beyond what words can hold.
Lee became critically ill on December 26, 2025, and underwent a liver transplant shortly after. What followed was not a simple recovery—it was months of relentless hospitalizations, complications, and setbacks.
He remained in the hospital and rehab through February 11th, only to be readmitted again from February 19th through early March, and then again from March 9th–22nd. He struggled with ongoing pain and kidney failure, eventually requiring dialysis three times a week, along with constant transplant follow-ups. Amanda was there through every moment—every hospital stay, every appointment, every setback—while trying to keep life moving outside those hospital walls.
On April 8th, Lee was hospitalized for the final time. Due to his immunocompromised state, he developed a rare fungal infection that affected his heart, leading to cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated after 12 minutes, placed on life support, and underwent emergency heart surgery. Despite every effort, his body could not recover from the immense toll it had endured.
Lee passed away on April 23rd at 11:59 PM, surrounded by love and prayer.
Over these past four months, Amanda has carried an overwhelming weight. While caring for Lee, she also took on growing financial responsibilities—rent increases, medical-related expenses, hospital parking costs, food during long stays, gas traveling back and forth, and maintaining ongoing obligations like child support.
Amanda is also a therapist, and while she has already begun the difficult process of returning to work, it has not been easy. After witnessing months of intense medical trauma—being present through repeated life-threatening moments and ultimately losing the person she loves—she is carrying both deep grief and the weight of those experiences. Even as she shows up for her clients, rebuilding her schedule and emotional capacity will take time.
As a private contractor, she does not have paid time off or benefits. The time she spent caring for Lee, along with this gradual return to work, has still meant a significant loss of income.
The previous fundraiser helped cover the initial months following Lee’s transplant. However, the continued hospitalizations and complications created an ongoing financial strain that has extended far beyond that initial period.
Now, Amanda is facing the unimaginable—grieving the loss of the person she shared her life with, while also trying to rebuild and stabilize after months in crisis mode.
If you are able to give, any amount will help ease the immediate burden and give Amanda the space she needs to grieve and begin to move forward.
If you’re unable to donate, sharing this page would mean so much.
Most importantly, please keep Amanda in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly painful time.
With love,
A friend who cares deeply about her