There’s no easy way to say this. Emmett is 5. Julie is 10. And their mom is gone. In a single moment, their world changed forever. The person who was supposed to be there for birthdays, school mornings, hugs at night… is no longer here. And now these two kids are trying to understand something that even adults struggle to process.

Julie is old enough to feel the weight of it. To ask the hard questions, to sit in the silence, to carry emotions no 10 year old should have to carry. Emmett is still so young. He doesn’t fully understand, but he feels it. He feels the absence, the shift, the hurt he can’t quite put into words.

As their dad, I’m doing everything I can to be their rock—to hold them together while they grieve, to be strong when they need it most, and to make sure they feel safe and loved every single day. But the truth is, this kind of loss doesn’t just break your heart. It changes everything. We’re now facing not only the emotional weight of this tragedy, but also the very real challenges that come with it: therapy, childcare, time away from work, and the unexpected costs of rebuilding life after loss.

I’m asking for help not for me, but for them. Every donation goes directly toward grief counseling and long-term emotional support, keeping their daily life stable and consistent, school needs, childcare, and basic living expenses, and giving them the space and time they need to heal.

If you can give, thank you. Truly. If you can’t, sharing this means more than you know. Right now, these kids need a village. They need to know that even in the middle of something this painful… they are still surrounded by people who care. Thank you for being part of that.