Support for the Shablykina Family: Healing and Rebuilding

On February 24, our lives were forever changed by a tragedy on the Key Peninsula that claimed five lives, including our beloved Zoya Shablykina. Zoya was a mother whose heart belonged to her children and a grandmother who was the center of 11-year-old Anna’s world.

As we grieve, we hold the families of Joanne Brandani, Louise Talley, and Stephanie Killilea close to our hearts. These three neighbors were heroes who acted with profound courage, and we share in the deep suffering their families are now enduring.

The Reality We Faced

For over a year, we dedicated ourselves to supporting Zoya’s son, Aleksandr, through a severe mental health crisis at our home in Orting. We followed every medical and legal path available to us. The night before this event, we alerted authorities that he was off his medication and headed to his mother’s home. Despite our warnings and a desperate 52-minute window between the first calls for help and the arrival of authorities—a time during which we were frantically rushing from Orting to reach them—the gaps in our current mental health system left us in a position of utter helplessness.

The Path to Recovery

We are deeply moved by the outpouring of love. Thanks to the generosity of our family, friends, church, and community, the immediate costs for Zoya’s funeral and the heavy task of moving and sorting through Zoya’s home and belongings have been met. This support allowed us to handle her legacy with the care it deserved without the immediate weight of financial crisis.

However, the magnitude of what Anna (11) and her mother Anastasiya have lost is profound. The specialized, long-term trauma therapy required to help them navigate this grieving process will be a years-long journey.

The Impact of Your Gift

Every donation, no matter the size, has a direct cause and effect on our family's ability to survive this tragedy. By contributing, you are providing the foundation for specialized psychological care and the stability necessary for a child and her mother to rebuild a sense of safety. You are not just giving money; you are giving them the professional resources required to heal.

We cannot thank you enough for your incredible generosity and for standing with us to protect the future of Zoya’s daughter and granddaughter.

With deep gratitude,

Rob, Anastasia, and Anna