I want you to meet my friend Liz.





Her family needs our help.











Before my current job, I worked for UPS for nearly a decade. For about five of those years I sat next to Liz. She is the one who told me to read "Twilight," for which I will never forgive her. She is also the one who told me to read "The Hunger Games," which redeemed her for recommending "Twilight."





Liz and I are the same age. Her daughter is about the same age as my daughter. In-between complaining about work we'd compare baby poop stories, share advice and help each other be better parents. Honestly, she helped me much more than I helped her.





When I was having a rough time at work (and there were some really rough times) Liz was the one who would cheer me up. She always had a perfect combination of dry cynicism lightly dusted with encouragement to get me back in the desk for another day.





A few months before I left UPS for my new job, Liz found out she and her husband Michael were having their second child. A month later my wife and I found out that we too would be growing our family by one. It was fun having a friend in such a similar situation. We shared our excitement, and even after I left the company in March we kept in touch as our arrival dates approached.





I last talked to Liz a couple weeks ago. She was on bed rest and mentioned that the pregnancy had been difficult. She was excited for the baby to come and we mentioned getting the girls together sometime shortly after.





Last week Liz and Michael brought their baby girl into the world via cesarean. There were complications with the surgery and Liz died a couple days later. Ever since, I've been taking 5-10 minute trips to the bathroom to cry because I don't want my daughter or my wife or my boss to see that I am an emotional wreck.





This obviously hits close to home for me. My wife will be having a cesarean sometime in the next two weeks, and while I know how unlikely it is that something like this could happen, losing Liz has made that incredibly small possibility far too real.





But this isn't about me, or my fears of what might happen. This post is about my friend Liz and what did happen – and what happens now.





As is the case with most two income households, Liz's income accounted for a significant portion of her family finances. Her husband Michael is now a single father with a 3 year old and a 1 week old at home. I have no idea how he's going to do it - and now I'm crying again. Sh*t. This is just horrible and not fair and... I don't know. I don't even have the words.





I can't take his pain away. We've only met twice. I can't call him or hug him or let him know that he and his daughters are in my thoughts as much – if not more – than Liz is right now. I'm going to let his family do that.





What I can do is try to rally my readers to help. And that is where you all come in. A memorial fund has been set up to help Michael and his two girls. I've donated what our family can afford, but I'm hoping you will too. In fact, I'm hoping you will donate AND SHARE this post with your friends. Ask them to donate.





Michael is currently living my absolute worst nightmare. My wife is my strength. She is the light of my world, and if she left it, I have no idea what I would do. Michael and his girls needs our help. Please consider donating and sharing this post. I know asking for a post to go viral basically dooms it to obscurity, but I believe in you all. Make this thing fly and let's put Michael and Liz's kids through college.





Here's how:





Click here and donate to the Elizabeth Van Gesen Roberts Donation Fund (Or Click Any of the Pictures)





Love, Dad





P.S. I will also be donating all Google Adwords Revenue I made from my Hypothetical Gay Son Post to the Roberts family. (It really wasn't much... about $50 dollars, but hopefully it will help.)





P.S.S Here is her beautifully written obituary.



Update: Friends and family have set up a Facebook Page if you would like to like/visit. The FB page and this Post both link to the same fund on Pay Pal. Thanks again for your help!