Help Us Write The Final Chapter Of This Beautiful Love Story

On May 8, 2024, one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever had the privilege to witness came to an end. That's the day my mother, Janet Cantrell, died after a years long battle with a litany of diseases that had left her bedridden in excruciating pain, multiple trips and weeks long stays at the hospital.

During this time, my father, Stanley Cantrell, who was married to my mom for 41 years before her passing, was there with her for every step of the way, even taking care of her despite having had a stroke not even two full years before her decline began.

My dad was an around-the-clock caregiver who poured his heart and soul into doing whatever my mother needed. He would clean her wounds -- caused by a severe flesh-eating disease -- help her go to the bathroom, comfort her when the pain and anxiety was too much for her to bear. I can't do justice to how he poured himself out to her in mere words. Let's just say my dad has become a legend in our family for all the ways he loved his bride.

It was a passionate love that started in the early 1980s, and while there were hard times that almost threatened to tear them apart, God's grace brought them back from the brink and made their love stronger than ever. It's the kind of thing a book should be written about one day.

In celebration of this love and my mother's life, I'm attempting to raise enough money to give her the send off she wanted.

We are a working-class family living paycheck-to-paycheck. There was no insurance policy, unfortunately, so we are left to pay for the cost of the funeral all on our own and in full transparency, we do not have the funds to cover it.

However, we still want to honor my mom's last wishes to be buried here in the town we call home.

The costs for a burial and funeral service so all of Janet's loved ones get an opportunity to say goodbye is very expensive.

Fortunately, there is a wonderful funeral home in our town who has provided a package for roughly $5,000 that covers the cost of a casket, vault, service, and a few other items.

That leaves the burial plot which is around $1,600 and the cost of a headstone, which is yet to be determined. However, I'm estimating it will cost around $2,000. With taxes and fees I'm rounding up the total to $9,000.

As you can see, that's a lot of money. It would mean the world to me if those of you who read this would be able to contribute to helping me author the final chapter in this wonderful love story. Anything you can give will help and I will give you my eternal gratitude.

I'm a firm believer in transparency, so I will provide receipts for every expense. If there is money not used, I will gladly refund it to those who donated unless told otherwise.

As of now, I have not set a concrete date because the expenses for the funeral must be presented up front, but as soon as I can, I will provide an update on that.

Again, I appreciate any and all help and support you can provide in this difficult time for me and my family.