Dear Friends,

I want each of you to know that the support that you have all shown during these past difficult weeks has given Thalia’s family an enormous amount of comfort and strength.  I guess gofundme is the modern-day version of the community coming out in support when a cherished member needs help.

I told Thalia about the gofundme account and each of the different ways people were supporting her family many times throughout these difficult weeks.  She smiled and closed her eyes in that appreciative and comforted way that many of you can picture.  It gave me such strength to know that so many people were willing to make tangible practical sacrifices to help Thalia.  It literally comforted me every day to know that Thalia was not in this alone.  I know that it gave all of us strength to be able to do something in the face of this terrible battle that Thalia had to fight.  Some brought food, some gave daily care, some were able to come to visit Thalia, some took care of Ari and Sophie, some gave money, some gave prayers.  All of it helped so much.   

Thalia passed away on Monday afternoon without pain.  These words are difficult for me to write and I am still processing this enormous loss along with all of you.  I know I will see her again, but I will spend the rest of my life missing Thalia.

We are now in the midst of making funeral arrangements for Thalia.  If you would like to send a picture or two to me, and any words that you might wish to include to describe your memory of Thalia, we are going to put together a slideshow and memory book for Ari and Sophie to help them understand how much their mother meant to so many people.  My email is [email redacted].

Thalia’s Celebration of Life is scheduled for 11:00 am on Monday, June 26th at the Greek Orthodox Church.  The address is 4700 Lincoln Ave, Oakland, CA 94602. 

Thank you again to each of you for your outpouring of love to Thalia and her family.

Heidi