We’re Michelle and Janis Simonek, and we’re asking for help to bring our mom, Ursula, home with dignity—covering cremation and gas for our drive from Dallas, TX to Uvalde, TX (about 400 miles) to collect her ashes and the few belongings she had. My mother was lost in the system; I hadn’t seen her since I was seventeen. We found her a couple of years ago, but my sister works as a caretaker six days a week and I care for my father and two of my kids—our schedules and finances didn’t line up before she passed. Your gift will help bring her kids back together (maybe even Misty, if we can find her)—for her, and for us.

I’m a glass artist, and I want to make small pendants for each of us with a bit of her ashes—to honor the woman who loved us through every broken bridge. If you can donate, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. If you can’t, a share with a favorite song would mean a lot—Mom loved music.

I wish more people understood schizophrenia. It didn’t have to be like it was—she didn’t have to be cut off and locked away. I’m grateful we found her before she passed, though I wish I’d seen her one last time. Now my dad, my daughter, my sister, and I will make this long drive to South Texas—time together under a real night sky (my youngest has never seen it away from the city). Please help us give our mom the farewell she deserved.