Support Autumn & Ivy

It was only three years ago that I created a GoFundMe for two incredible girls, Autumn and Ivy, after the passing of their dad and stepdad. Today, with heavy hearts, we are here again. Their mother has now sadly passed away as well.

Ivy, age 8, has relocated back to the Bay Area, where her aunt Allyson and her partner Kyle are grateful to have been granted guardianship. They are ready to provide her with a safe, loving home, supporting her with therapy, school, sports, and medical care she has needed in recent months.

Autumn, age 19, is in the Bay Area as well. She has just started her first semester at West Valley College while working to support herself. Autumn has now experienced the unimaginable—losing her father, stepdad, and mother.

Despite all of this, these young women are strong, bright, and resilient. Our hope is to rally around them as a community, showing them love and support as they navigate this incredibly difficult time.

I’d like to share Autumn’s words with you:

*"Hi, my name is Autumn. I’m 19 years old, and I’m hoping to raise money for the future for me and my little sister Ivy, who’s 8.

I’ve never been the kind of person to share my story. Most of my life, I’ve kept things to myself and tried to act like everything was fine — even when it wasn’t. I didn’t want anyone to look at me differently. But right now, our whole life has changed. I can’t go into all the details — there’s just too much — but I hope this gives you a small glimpse into what we’re going through, and why I’m asking for help now.

Life has taken almost everything from us.

When I was 7, I lost my dad. My mom did everything she could to take care of me, even though we didn’t have much. Then she met my stepdad, and they had my little sister. For a while, it felt like we had a family again. But in 2022, he passed away too.

I thought maybe that would be the last heartbreak for a while. But this year, my mom passed away as well. Her death was sudden. One day she was here… and the next, she was gone. There was no time to prepare. No final words. She was just gone.

My little sister is going to a safe and happy home, she’s going to be living with our aunt. My aunt is going to put her in therapy, sports and help with her health issues as she’s been sick for the past few months.

As for myself, I don’t even have the words to describe how I feel. I applied for a community college and I’m going to work on getting a second job. I don’t know what the future looks like, and even though it feels like it’s never going to get better, I’m going to keep trying for my little sister.

I am hoping the funds from this GoFundMe will help us afford therapy, save for college, and build something stable out of the pieces we have left. Even just having the chance to hope again would mean everything.

If you can help — even by just sharing this — thank you. It’s hard to ask for help but it’s needed."*

Please consider donating or sharing to help Autumn and Ivy find stability, healing, and hope. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference.

With love and gratitude,

From a family friend,

Jody Rossi