Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. In lieu of a birthday gift, please consider a donation to the Partnership to End Addiction, where your support will help families struggling with a loved one's substance use. Together, we can empower families with hope and support. 

I’d like to share the eulogy I wrote for my best friend Kelsie who passed away from a fentanyl overdose on 4/3/2021. I am doing this fundraiser to honor her memory. 

We're here today to celebrate the life of Kelsie Elizabeth Miller, my best friend. This is a day that we all hoped would never arrive, but knew that it could be a possibility given the circumstances, but Kelsie was more than her addiction.
Kelsie was born on June 16th, 1989 to parents Lissa and Sean. I first met Kelsie when we attended pre school together at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, but it wasn't until we both found ourselves attending middle school at Cab Calloway School of the Arts that we really became friends. We met in band class, where Kelsie was a skilled trumpet player. We were in the same AP language class, where Kelsie was an incredible writer. If anyone wanted to know where Kelsie was, they'd call me, and if anyone wanted to know where I was, they'd call Kelsie. Her parents likely often wondered if I was ever going to go home, because I practically lived at her house in high school. We had a friendship that was free of judgment, the kind of friendship where we could tell each other anything, share our deepest insecurities, giggle about a boy (or girl) we were into at the time, fight with each other (which we did often, and like sisters). And no matter what, we were always there for each other. We were there for each others’ big and small moments in life. Kelsie supported me through the death of my grandparents, breakups, setbacks, and through my moody teen years, and I supported her through accomplishments at school, break ups, (also her moody teen years), the birth of her cousins Grace, Lily, Carly, and Leo, and the death of her beloved uncle Joe

 who passed away 10 years ago today. I think we can all agree that he's here in this room with us today, celebrating her life with us.
When I met Kelsie's family, they accepted me as one of their own immediately which was something I'd always wanted because I grew up in a very small family (sorry mom and dad). Kelsie's favorite places to be were either over at Babci and Djadjis' or at her aunt Lorri's house spending time with her cousins, and her god daughter Carly. Kelsie really loved to be anywhere her family was, no matter the occasion. If I could name Kelsie's favorite things to do, it was probably debating politics with her brother Sean, having a beer with her aunt Lorri and uncle Leo, or going out to lunch with her mother Lissa. I was lucky enough to bear witness to Kelsie’s great love for her family. But Kelsie had another great love in her life. Her Daughter Charlotte.
Charlotte was born April 24th 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. Charlotte changed Kelsie’s world in the best possible way. Of all of Kelsie's accomplishments, Charlotte was her greatest and most profound. Kelsie was a devoted mother who would do anything for her child. Kelsie was a devoted friend who would stand by you in the darkest of times, and Kelsie was the life of the party at every family event you could imagine. Her humor and authenticity could captivate even the most difficult minds.

 Though we are all here today to mourn that Kelsie will no longer walk beside us in life, we are also here to acknowledge that she has passed on to a place where she is free from the burdens she fought in life. Now that she is free, she will be beside all of the people she loved all of the time. I have no doubt that she is with us here today. She will be with her mother Lissa as she raises Kelsie's daughter Charlotte. She will be with Charlotte every day to love her, support her, and guide her. She will be with her brother Sean as he continues to help people fight against the same struggles she faced in life. She will be with her aunt Lori and Uncle Leo and all of her beloved cousins as they grow. She will be at her Babci's and Dadji's for every family gathering, and she will walk with her father Sean along the beach they used to walk together. I will hold Kelsie in my heart and talk to her as much as possible because I know she is with me. I know we will all honor her every day by celebrating and loving her daughter Charlotte.
Kelsie loved the band Incubus and over the past week, I have found comfort in listening to their music and thinking of her. These lyrics stuck out to me "If I turn into another, dig me up from under what is covering the better part of me. Sing this song, remind me that we'll always have each other, when everything else is is gone.” We will always have Kelsie and she will always have us. 

Thank you for your contribution!