Help Sia Find a Home & Kick Cancer
Donation protected
Dear friends of Sia,
As many of you know, my mother, Sia Sellu is a fighter. She spent her career fighting to help people in dangerous situations find safe housing for minimal pay, winning awards for her efforts as well as dedicating many hours of her free time to civil rights as well as environmental activism. For the past year and half, Sia has been fighting for her life against stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. And for the past six months she’s been fighting for her sanity in an unsafe living situation which is significantly impacting her ability to focus on her cancer and heal. The goal of this YouCaring is to help Sia financially move to a better place and supplement her income so she can focus her efforts and precious energy on the battle for her health.
My mom beat the odds as a struggling single parent, ensuring that I got everything I needed to succeed in life. But it didn’t stop there for my Mom, she volunteered thousands of hours helping other families and children have access to affordable housing, quality child care, livable neighborhoods, community gardens and better schools.
Nomy Lamm, an acclaimed singer, writer, illustrator, and activist for the most pressing social justice issues of our time, whos's most recent work is illustrating "I'm Jay, Let's Play" a children's book about gender fluidity, said the following about Sia:
"I met Sia at a community garden installation several years ago, and she made an impression immediately. She was sweet and friendly and happy to get her hands dirty and support her friends and community members. Since then we have supported each other online through a number of life transitions. I value her and know that she deserves to get her needs met. I hope that our communities will show up to support her fundraiser and meet her goals."
When I was little I said to my mom, “Mom, you’re a hero because you help people” I hope people will help my mom beat the odds. The life expectancy of a woman with metastatic disease is 2-5 years. Per the National Cancer Institute, African American women have poorer outcomes and earlier death. I need and love my mom, and not to brag or anything but I think she makes the world a better place. Even now, with her cancer fight, friends still reach out to her for help, advice and laughter. I tell her to take it easy and practice self-care, she can’t help herself. Please help my mom, she’d do the same for you.
Kate Schatz, author of New York Times best selling children’s book series, Rad American Women and founder of Solidarity Sundays, a nation-wide network of feminist activism with more than 200 chapters worldwide said the following about my mom, Sia:
"Sia has devoted her life to helping, uplifting, and fighting for so many communities--from children to the homeless to Black and Brown victims of police brutality to the many women living with metastatic breast cancer. Her decades of service have impacted countless lives, and now it's time to help HER."
Disability covers my mom’s $1200/mo rent and electricity, but not much else and doesn’t qualify for Medicaid or food stamps. Supplementing her income will allow her to pay for food, health insurance exchange premiums and copays, car insurance, gas, bus passes, laundry, internet. etc. When her health improves, she plans to work with vocational rehabilitation to find work that she can do with her current limitations.
For someone who has dedicated so much of her life to helping the survival of others in need, this is a time when she needs friends, family and community to help her survive.
Please give what you can, and share so we can reach my mom, Sia’s initial goal in the next 30 days
As many of you know, my mother, Sia Sellu is a fighter. She spent her career fighting to help people in dangerous situations find safe housing for minimal pay, winning awards for her efforts as well as dedicating many hours of her free time to civil rights as well as environmental activism. For the past year and half, Sia has been fighting for her life against stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. And for the past six months she’s been fighting for her sanity in an unsafe living situation which is significantly impacting her ability to focus on her cancer and heal. The goal of this YouCaring is to help Sia financially move to a better place and supplement her income so she can focus her efforts and precious energy on the battle for her health.
My mom beat the odds as a struggling single parent, ensuring that I got everything I needed to succeed in life. But it didn’t stop there for my Mom, she volunteered thousands of hours helping other families and children have access to affordable housing, quality child care, livable neighborhoods, community gardens and better schools.
Nomy Lamm, an acclaimed singer, writer, illustrator, and activist for the most pressing social justice issues of our time, whos's most recent work is illustrating "I'm Jay, Let's Play" a children's book about gender fluidity, said the following about Sia:
"I met Sia at a community garden installation several years ago, and she made an impression immediately. She was sweet and friendly and happy to get her hands dirty and support her friends and community members. Since then we have supported each other online through a number of life transitions. I value her and know that she deserves to get her needs met. I hope that our communities will show up to support her fundraiser and meet her goals."
When I was little I said to my mom, “Mom, you’re a hero because you help people” I hope people will help my mom beat the odds. The life expectancy of a woman with metastatic disease is 2-5 years. Per the National Cancer Institute, African American women have poorer outcomes and earlier death. I need and love my mom, and not to brag or anything but I think she makes the world a better place. Even now, with her cancer fight, friends still reach out to her for help, advice and laughter. I tell her to take it easy and practice self-care, she can’t help herself. Please help my mom, she’d do the same for you.
Kate Schatz, author of New York Times best selling children’s book series, Rad American Women and founder of Solidarity Sundays, a nation-wide network of feminist activism with more than 200 chapters worldwide said the following about my mom, Sia:
"Sia has devoted her life to helping, uplifting, and fighting for so many communities--from children to the homeless to Black and Brown victims of police brutality to the many women living with metastatic breast cancer. Her decades of service have impacted countless lives, and now it's time to help HER."
Disability covers my mom’s $1200/mo rent and electricity, but not much else and doesn’t qualify for Medicaid or food stamps. Supplementing her income will allow her to pay for food, health insurance exchange premiums and copays, car insurance, gas, bus passes, laundry, internet. etc. When her health improves, she plans to work with vocational rehabilitation to find work that she can do with her current limitations.
For someone who has dedicated so much of her life to helping the survival of others in need, this is a time when she needs friends, family and community to help her survive.
Please give what you can, and share so we can reach my mom, Sia’s initial goal in the next 30 days
Organizer and beneficiary
Leslie Dotson Van Every
Organizer
Alameda, CA
Sia Kollo Sellu
Beneficiary
