Help Momma Shay's Kids Stay in School!

Hi, my name is Ann Wilson and I am fundraising for my college friend, Jocelyn Wesley, and her family. Recently, Jocelyn lost her mother, a woman filled with wisdom and love beyond our time, to brain cancer. Throughout the time I have known Jocelyn, she has been a friend to many- someone around to lift the spirits of others. After her mother's passing, I learned about the changes Jocelyn was forced to make to take care of her family and thought about how privileged I am to have both of my parents following a Global Pandemic, especially during this holiday season. Below is a message from Jocelyn describing how her family's life has changed. If you cannot donate yourself, please take the time to simply share this post for my friend, so that she can continue school and financially support her siblings. Thank you so much!

"Normally, I would be spending this time of year with my favorite person, but as we all know the last two years for everyone have been anything but normal. On October 12, 2021 my life was forever changed when I lost my best friend, my guiding light, my everything, my mother, Ms. Chautauqua L. Wesley to a lengthy battle with brain cancer. The truth of the matter is that I am not ok, and I am unsure of when I will be, if ever. Despite this, I am moving forward everyday to make sure I honor her life, love, and memory while still holding on especially for my younger siblings' sake.

If you knew “Momma Shay”, then you knew she was a true renaissance woman. She enjoyed the finer things in life and was determined to get it for herself- becoming an exceptional realtor and insurance agent. She somehow managed this while being a single mother and attending to not only her own health needs but mine as well, living after open-heart surgery and cardiomyopathy. Like me, she was a fierce older sister, and had a type of tough love mixed with genuine tenderness that made you just know that everything was going to be ok, even if in that moment it did not feel like it. I would give anything to have those moments again.

Being a struggling undergraduate student is hard enough, and without the support of my Mother many aspects of my future are less certain, but with all the knowledge and love she imparted to me, one thing I am certain of is that my situation will improve as time continues to move forward. In the meantime, I am learning that one of the bravest things a person can do is know when and how to ask for help. All funds raised will go towards school expenses for my sister, Promise, and brother, Ezekiel; they are in their senior and freshman year of high school; as well as transportation funding while I work in food and grocery delivery until I can finish school/find a suitable career.

I thank every single person that took the time to read this difficult life update, anyone who shares it along, and especially those who contributed to this cause to uplift my immediate family in this difficult time."

Happy Holidays! #CancerSucks