On November 21, 2022, our son Sylvester Merriman III took his final breath on this earth. Anyone who knew our precious SJ knows what an incredible fight he put up during his five years on this earth. As his parents, our hearts are shattered that he is no longer here for us to hold physically, but we know that he is free from all pain and for this, we take comfort.

As many of you know, the last two and a half years of SJ's life were spent in and out of the hospital, with more time in the hospital. Our family relocated to Washington, DC, for SJ to receive the proper care he needed to save his life. During these four years, our hearts were filled with victories with SJ's health and countless setbacks. The setbacks in the past several months kept coming, one right after the other, and our precious baby was tired.

As a family, we do not know where to go from here. We are lost. We are asking you for help when we feel most vulnerable. We have wonderful family and friends that have seen us through so much in the past five years, and we are eternally grateful for everyone's love and support. If you cannot donate, we ask you to continue to lift our family in your thoughts and prayers. We are currently navigating returning from Washington to South Carolina to complete the funeral arrangements for our baby.

As one can imagine, this has left a significant financial strain on our family, on top of having to lose our child. It is a pain we wish on no one. Any help, no matter how big or small, will serve to offset this financial burden. We thank you in advance for your kindness, generosity, and most of all, prayers.

With Love,

Latorria and Sylvester Jr.