Support Sekou's Family in Their Time of Loss

Sekou was a smart, ornery, creative, and brave guy. He was a proud Liberian, his biological family hailing from Lofa County. When he was just a baby, he contracted cerebral malaria and had a stroke. The effects of this impacted his entire life; he was diagnosed with epilepsy a few years later and eventually given the diagnosis of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe and progressive form of epilepsy. Over the last few years, Sekou has lost parts of his personality and ability to function, including ability to eat or sit up. In early 2023, our family made the difficult decision to transition Sekou to hospice care so we could focus on spending time with him and making him comfortable instead of desperately holding onto his life, as he had already experienced so much suffering. Part of this decision was the decision for my family (minus the grown-up kids) to go back to Liberia, which has been home-base for them for over a decade. This decision was not made lightly; we wanted to give Sekou the opportunity to spend time with his biological father & spend his last days in his Homeland. After a year and a half of close calls & bouncing back (did I mention Sekou was a little booger?), Sekou died on August 7th, 2024 at the age of 12. My parents and younger siblings sat with him as he was dying and those of us who live in the States gathered over the phone to say good-bye and share our favorite memories about Sekou. He was at peace to the end.

I am setting up this fundraiser for my parents, Eric and Pam Buller, as they navigate this difficult season. They do not have solid plans yet for moving forward, but I know there will be unexpected costs along the way. This money will be used for things related to Sekou's cremation, funeral, possible flights for family (depending on what decisions are made), etc.

Even if you are unable to support my family in a monetary way, please comment below & share your support and/or a memory you have of Sekou. Thank you, so much.