Help Lay Emily to Rest

On 10/10/2021, Emily Rose Storm, born March 24, 2000 as Nicholas Arthur Kaplan, succumbed to their struggle with mental illness and the taxing process of MTF transition. While those that Emily left behind will never understand the decision made, we are left with the solace of knowing that They are no longer suffering and are at peace with and being taken care of by all those that passed before Them.

No parent expects to outlive their child and as such, Emily and I’s parents, Margaret & Gary Kaplan, were not prepared to pay for funeral services and expenses for their youngest child. This GoFundMe has been created to help alleviate the financial burden that these parents must now take on, while grieving for their lost child.

Due to the nature of Emily’s passing via suicide, any death benefits They had made are most likely voided. Death benefits typically help to cover the cost of funeral expenses and final arrangements. Because of the method in which Emily left this earthly plane, a forensic cleaning crew had to be hired. While homeowners insurance covers the vast majority of the over $34,000 bill, the family is still responsible for part of this expense.

For those that knew Them, Emily was a bright, brilliant, beautiful human being, who loved everyone and everything fiercely. Their absence will forever leave a void in the hearts of all those that loved Them. Life will, quite literally, never be the same.

I could type out and write about Emily’s life and how beautiful and amazing it was but for someone to take their own life, they did not think that their life was beautiful or amazing; so I will leave this with a plea to all those reading this- hold your loved ones a little tighter and tell people how much you love them before you no longer have the chance to do so.

Once arrangements have been made, this will be updated to include that information. We ask that you keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. Even if you cannot donate, if you can share this, any little bit will help during this difficult and unforeseen time. For those that have photos of Emily (this includes when They were Nicholas), please feel free to send them to me.

Any money that is remaining after the funeral costs and expenses will be donated in Emily’s memory to The Trevor Project to support suicide prevention in transgender teens.