Malaya Leon Needs Your Support!

We are Burke and Stephanie Leon, and we lost our beloved son Andrew Leon on 12/9/23. One of his gifts to us is his 7-year-old daughter Malaya, and her God Mother, Ellen. During his divorce, in a rare action by the court, Andrew received full custody and raised Malaya with Ellen's help. Unfortunately Malaya's mom is still not competent (as determined by the court) to step in to help. We are both in our eighties and are not able to raise her.

We need help in providing funds for all the items a young child needs. Presently, we are also handling the burden of substantial legal costs necessary to get Ellen appointed permanent guardian as well as basic expenses to provide for this amazing little girl. We want her to remain in the loving environment Ellen has provided and give her the life that Andrew wanted for her.

Before he died, Andrew appointed Ellen, Malaya’s God mother, to raise her. Malaya is very happy with Ellen and her family which consists of two sons, and a granddaughter, Aria, 8, and a dog, Tricky, While Andrew was alive, Ellen took care of Malaya for much of her young life.

Malaya has had many challenges in life before the loss of her father and the effective loss of her mother to mental illness. She was born with hypothyroidism and was diagnosed as mildly autistic. Andrew fought to get his daughter into the best schools and programs, He was the most dedicated father you can imagine.

Ellen believed in Malaya, and worked tirelessly with her. As a result, Malaya began to overcome her developmental delays. Malaya has Andrew's spirit, charm, and intelligence. Although she still has obstacles to overcome, with the help of her “village”, she has made tremendous strides. She is now a fully included, first grader in a class of 30 and above average in reading, something almost no one believed possible just a few short years ago and still has many challenges ahead of her.

Ellen has honored Andrew's wish to care for Malaya should anything happen to him. We could not be more thankful her for all she has done. Over the last three years she has proven her love for our granddaughter, who loves her in return.

We are asking for help for our granddaughter. Please contribute to help us meet our goal of $20,000 These funds are being collected by the Leon family and will be made freely available to Ellen for whatever Malaya needs.

Please freely share this with anyone you think may want to support Malaya in this most difficult of times. We plan to send out a newsletter with pictures and videos on a regular basis on Malaya's life and progress. Please contact us through GoFundMe to get on the list.

Thank you for your support!