Support for Brianna's Sister After Tragic Loss

Hi, my name is Brianna, and I’m reaching out with a heavy heart.

On December 5th, 2013, my father passed away unexpectedly. My little sister was just 5 years old when she found him. Just two months later, on February 5th, we lost our mother. After that, my sister was taken in and lovingly raised by our grandma and her long-time partner of 25 years (her grandfather figure).

Tragically, on March 30th of this year, my now 17-year-old sister found our grandma unresponsive—she had passed away suddenly. Before she could even begin to process that devastating loss, just a few days later, she discovered her grandpa had taken his own life in their front yard. The scene was extremely graphic and traumatic, something no child—especially one who’s already been through so much—should ever have to witness.

Now, at just 17, my sister has been left to manage two funerals and figure out how to survive completely on her own. I’m doing everything I can to help her, but I have children of my own and we were recently impacted by a devastating tornado in our community, leaving us in a very difficult place financially and emotionally.

She knows she is always welcome in my home, and I want nothing more than to have her here with me. But I understand that she’s not ready to leave her job, her support system, and the pets that give her comfort—especially after losing the only two parental figures she had left. If I lived closer, the transition would be easier, but for now, she needs urgent help getting back on her feet and finding a safe place to live. She only has a couple of weeks before she has to leave the home they were renting.

My sister is one of the most kind-hearted, loving, and resilient young women I’ve ever known—and I don’t say that just because she’s family. She has endured more trauma than most people will in a lifetime: from finding our father dead at age 5, to losing our mother shortly after, and now experiencing the heartbreak and horror of losing her grandma and then her grandpa in one of the most traumatic ways imaginable.

She will need extensive, ongoing therapy to help her work through not just the recent trauma, but the lifetime of grief and pain she’s been forced to carry. No 17-year-old should have to go through this alone.

That’s why I’m reaching out to ask for help—from anyone who is willing and able. She needs immediate assistance with housing, furniture, basic household essentials, and support with her living expenses as she begins this unimaginable next chapter. Every little bit helps, and if you’re unable to donate, simply sharing this message can go a long way in getting her the support she needs.

Thank you so much for reading, and for any love, support, or prayers you can send her way. It truly means more than words can express.