Support Manasa & his family campaign

My dear friends & extended family,

I am reaching out for help, in a time of dire necessity for my blood family. I am presently in Perth, just landed yesterday - where my sister has just lost her partner, Trevor, to suicide.

She woke up to him hanging in the verandah of their home a couple of weeks ago.

They have 2 beautiful young girls together, one of whom is only 5 months old, the other (Eva) is 4 years old. My mother (Leone) and my sister's first-born child, who is 26 (Jade), have flown over also and have been trying to help and console my sister, but it is an extremely difficult situation. My sister has not been eating or sleeping, and my mum and niece have been working hard to care for not only her, but the children. My sister has no blood family in Perth, and few friends to support her in this time. My sister (Kristina) has relied on her partner’s income to cover household expenses, and she has a rental property in Tasmania, which she relies on to pay her mortgage. Her rental income has limited her access to Centrelink, despite being insufficient to cover food, electricity and petrol costs, let alone the funeral. If times weren’t hard enough, her partner Trevor has left over $45,000 in fines and debts which we have to deal with. His super should cover most of that, but as Trevor did not leave a will, we expect a lawyer will be needed to help with any disputes regarding the belongings he has left behind.

The house is in a complete state of disrepair and none of us have the bandwidth to get it cleaned and fixed up. It will cost a lot to get it up to standard, which is an overwhelming task atm, and as the saying goes - messy house, messy mind. To help my sister not only find a sense of stability and wellness, but to give her and her girls more options for the future, we will need time, professional help, support and $$$ … more than I first conceived. My mum lives on the Gold Coast. I live in Uki (NNSW) and we need to be able to have her with us to care for them properly.

My personal situation is also very difficult financially, as I can’t work while I’m here, (which looks like will be a while) and I also have constant bills to pay along with supporting my sister etc.

On top of this I have potentially slipped a disk in my lower back, so I’ve been in immense pain and restricted movement along with a drastic drain of energy and capacity.

As most of you would know, we lost our elder brother Daniel to suicide some years ago, which has sent ripples through our lives - the effects of which are no doubt felt more extremely at this time.

Especially by my sister, who is understandably not dealing with any of this very well.

In his final letter to me, my brother told me “You’re the man of the house now”. I’m feeling the weight of this responsibility more than ever, as our father also has Parkinson’s disease, and has been laid up in bed for a long time with an agonizing damaged spine to top it off.

I’m usually not very good at asking for help, but this is a desperate situation - so I’m stepping out of my comfort zone… since I’m already there anyhow.

So I am putting a plea out to you all, if you are able to help contribute to this Go Fund Me Campaign, I / we would be super grateful.

I would also like to acknowledge my sweet friend and partner Joni, for her loving support in choosing to be here with me to give her sweet presence and invaluable help with the kids and my sister.

I don’t know how I would be able to survive this situation without her help.

Also big thanks to Paul Wright, CEO of Tribeez, my dear brother from another mother, who kindly sponsored my flight to come here.

I am so grateful to you all, my loving friends - just for being here, for being in my life in whatever proximity. Even if you can only send love and prayers, they will be happily received.

And thank you in advance for your help and support, in whatever shape or form. God knows I need it right now.

Love to all,

Manasa