Kiah Hezekiah Walter

Hello all, It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our beloved colleague and dear friend, Sheila Johnson. Sheila was so much more than a coworker — she was a devoted mother, a cherished sister and aunt, and a source of light to everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. After a brave and unwavering battle with Stage 4 gallbladder cancer, Sheila gained her wings. Throughout her illness, Sheila showed a level of courage, grace, and resilience that inspired us all. Even on her most difficult days, she carried herself with dignity and met the world with a smile that never truly faded. She was the backbone of her family, a constant source of strength and love, and someone whose kindness left a lasting mark on every life she touched. One of Sheila’s final and most heartfelt wishes was to return to her roots and be laid to rest in her homeland of Zambia. Honouring this wish means more than a journey — it means giving her the peace of resting where her story began, surrounded in spirit by the land and people she loved. We are currently raising funds to cover the significant costs associated with her repatriation and funeral services. International transport and arrangements come with a heavy financial burden, and we cannot fulfill this final act of love without the support of our community. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us bring Sheila home and give her the farewell she so deeply deserves. If you are unable to donate, we completely understand and would be so grateful if you could share this message to help us reach others who may be able to help. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your compassion, love, and support during this incredibly difficult time. It truly means more than words can express.

My name is Kiah, and I am reaching out with a heavy heart to ask for your support for my beloved aunt, Ate Veron. She has been courageously battling stage four breast cancer — a fight that has tested not only her strength and faith, but also the limits of what our family can manage on our own. Ate Veron has always been a pillar of love and kindness in our lives, someone who gives selflessly to others even in the face of hardship. Now, it is our turn to give back to her. We are raising funds to help cover her ongoing medical treatments, medications, essential care, everyday expenses and to help her two young girls back in the Philippines. Ate Veron’s Light When Veronica was a child, life took everything from her—except her spirit. She was orphaned too young to fully understand loss, but old enough to feel its hollow weight. It was my great-grandmother, her (Aunt) who took her in, a woman of quiet strength and weathered hands, who knew too well the meaning of sacrifice. Together, they built a life out of fragments—small joys stitched between hardship and hope. Veronica was a single mother herself, raising two young daughters. Their home in the Philippines was small but full of warmth—the kind that came from laughter around a simple meal, from shared stories whispered under candlelight when the power went out, from love that never asked for anything in return. As Veron grew older, so did her determination. She knew that love alone could not fill empty stomachs or pay for her daughter’s education. So she made the hardest choice a mother, a daughter, and a niece could ever make—she left. With trembling hands and an unshakable will, she flew to Singapore to work, sending every bit she could back home. Her two young daughters stayed in the Philippines, studying hard, holding onto every phone call, every photo, every message that reminded them: Mama is working for us. Mama is fighting for us. But now, that fight has taken a cruel turn. Ate Veron has been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. The same hands that have labored for others, the same heart that carried the weight of an entire family, now grows weaker each day. She faces this battle in a foreign land—away from her daughters, away from the family that raised her, surrounded by sterile walls instead of familiar arms. Yet, even in her pain, she remains unshaken. Her voice trembles when she speaks of her girls, but her eyes still hold that same light—the one that carried her through every loss, every long night of work, every lonely meal eaten in silence. She dreams of seeing her daughters graduate, of holding them again without fear of tomorrow. Now, it is our turn to be her strength. Our turn to gather around her as she once gathered around us. Ate Veron has spent her life giving—her time, her youth, her love, her health—for the sake of others. She has always been the light in our family, burning quietly but steadily, even when everything else grew dark. She and her two young daughters need us now—our prayers, our compassion, our help. For all the years she carried us with her courage, may we now carry her with our love. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference in ensuring that Ate Veron receives the treatment and comfort she deserves during this most difficult time. Even as little as a $1.00 counts. Thank you for your help.