There was a [girl]

A very strange, enchanted [girl]

They say [she] wandered very far

Very far, over land and sea

A little shy and sad of eye

But very wise was [she]

And then one day

A magic day [she] passed my way

And while we spoke of many things

Fools and kings, this [she] said to me

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn

Is just to love and be loved in return"

- Nature Boy, Nat King Cole

Meilani "Lani" Benavente, daughter of Mary "Bonz" Benavente Pangelinan, familian Bo'bo & Nacha, is from Dededo, Guam. She was born and raised in Guam, but has also called California's Bay Area and Portland, Oregon, home. While living stateside, she cultivated many friendships and found friends who became family.

Lani has been struggling for years with intense, debilitating pain. Even though Lani did not want to be admitted, the agony recently became so unbearable that hospitalization was no longer a choice — it was essential. She is now in critical need of specialized care off-island and life-saving surgery.

To know Lani is to know that the strange and enchanted can exist in the same person. She will undoubtedly grab your attention and keep you leaning in with the most fascinatingly random (and randomly fascinating) facts on a topic you didn’t even know you were interested in. Lani is an introvert in an extrovert’s clothing. While she can compel you in conversation, she is equally comfortable being alone with her nose in a book, her eye on a screen, or a song on her lips. Through her love of books and stories, she has traveled to the Shire, lived through the alphabet apocalypse in Nollop, explored the water labyrinth beneath the Palais Garnier opera house, and enjoyed Kick in the Pants Pie in Joe’s Pie Diner. She’s everything, everywhere, all at once, in the best possible way!

Where she used to wax poetic about the books she’s read, she now cuts conversations short to rest. Her pain is constant, and it is exhausting. The goal is to get her off-island and to help cover her post-operative care. The costs for specialized care, off-island travel, and surgery itself are overwhelming. Lani cannot fight this alone. She has always given so much of herself to the people she loves, and right now she needs our love and support more than ever.

Please consider donating to help cover her life-saving medical expenses. Every contribution and share brings Lani one step closer to recovery and a pain-free life. We are deeply grateful for any help you can offer, and for keeping Lani in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you & Si Yu'us Må'ase.