Help us honor mom's final wishes: funeral and cremation fund

My name is Kimiya, and I’m one of Lixin Chen’s four surviving children. At only 58 years old, our mom passed away suddenly on November 30, 2024, barely two months after being diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Her prognosis was hopeful, which made her passing abrupt and devastating. None of us—her children, family, or closest friends—were ready for this loss emotionally, logistically, or financially.

Like anyone else, mom was a deeply complicated person. Her sensitivity to the world often meant she felt everything more intensely, but it also gave her a rare gift for connecting with others on a profound level. She was a lighthouse to the downtrodden, even while she battled her inner storms. We want to honor her incredible legacy by fulfilling her funerary wishes.

Born in the shadow of the Cultural Revolution, mom overcame insurmountable hardship, becoming one of the youngest students at Tsinghua University at 15 and later earning a full scholarship to Stanford for a master’s in civil engineering. But what made her exceptional was not just her brilliance; it was her boundless capacity for love. She sacrificed her promising career to raise me and my siblings.

Her heart extended beyond our family. She dedicated her life to healing and connecting people through her music, her spirituality, and her activism. Through her Journey of Harmony initiative, recognized by the Chinese government as a significant cultural project, and her work as a cultural ambassador for peace on Jeju Island in South Korea, she bridged worlds and mended divides. It was on Jeju, where she was ordained as an honorary bhikkhuni monk in the Jogye Order, that she found a deep sense of belonging and serenity.

Mom had a special wish: to be cremated and have her ashes interred on Jeju Island. But her sudden passing has left us grappling not only with grief but also with the practical and financial challenges of fulfilling her final wishes. Without a formal will or life insurance, her assets are inaccessible, and the burden falls entirely on us.

We are hoping to raise $6,000 to honor her memory and cover:

- A viewing to bid her farewell

- Funeral and cremation costs

- Transportation of her ashes to Jeju Island, her spiritual home

This is more than logistics; it’s about granting her the dignity and peace she deserves after a life of trauma and hardship, when she gave so much of herself to others. It’s about closure for her family and all who loved her. We’re heartbroken and fumbling through the hardest thing we’ve ever faced; the youngest of us is only 21. Any support—whether a donation, no matter the size, or simply sharing this campaign—means the world to us. From the depths of our hearts, thank you for helping us honor the extraordinary woman who was our mother. Your kindness will forever be part of her legacy, as she believed in the goodness that binds humanity together.

With gratitude and love,

Exir, Alaast, Kimiya, and Sarir Kamalabadi