Support my loving Grandma; Esperanza's Final Journey Home

Hello good people!

My name is Jano and I’m desperately raising money to lay my grandma peacefully to rest, back home in Hawaii with our loved ones. It’s been a really tough last few months and losing my grandma during the happiest holiday has been so very hard on my family in these trying times.

Esperanza Abaya is her name and though not many people know her, those who do can only say sweet and honorable things about her. She made beautiful wedding dresses and any type of clothes any of us asked for. She cooked the best food, like THE BEST Filipino food, and was secretly a comedian. She loved going back home to the Philippines and kept true to her culture, which I regret not bugging her more about in my life. She kept to herself, worked really, really hard, and only made decisions to give her family the best she could give. She is a Superwoman and I was not ready for her to leave us.

She just turned 89 this year!! She was still kickin' so strong that I thought she was at least a decade younger this whole time! But two months ago, she had a severe stroke and has been back and forth in the ICU. She eventually got moved to a rehab home, which gave us hope, only to find her back in the ER 4 days later with news of stage 4 pancreatic cancer that had spread through her whole body. The cancer had taken over completely, which left us with what started off with 4 months left with her, to 4 weeks, to days. And before we could take her home to the comfort of her home and TFC (Filipino channel), she waited for my brother to fly in & hear his voice and took her last breath in the hospital, which she hated the whole time.

I've always known her to endure struggles and pain with no complaints. And something finally broke her. She's always done everything to put her family before herself, including giving up her service she purchased with her lot to my uncle who passed away very, very young. Our family is in Hawaii and we would love to send her back to the islands and bury her with her husband and 1st born where she belongs. She only loved the little things and lived for her family. It hurts my heart to write this and ask for this, but my grandma deserves a proper burial and for us to honor her wishes and religion. So we will do what we need to do give that to her.

She had just passed Saturday: December 14, 2024 so there is no service date yet. But we are hoping to get her home as soon as possible.

I’ve never done something like this before and my family and I are never ones to ask for help so I thank you greatly for reading this and any donations would be beyond helpful!