"I'm just 23 but adopting my little sister, 11, after our mum died and our dad has been given just days to live"
- 8 months ago
A 23-year-old has adopted her 11-year-old sister after their mum died and her dad was given days to live.
Ezri Hart has taken on care of Braidyn Neefe, 11, after her father Michael, 49, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Ezri and Braidyn share the same mother, Erika Neefe, 45, who died last year after a stroke.
Braidyn has now moved in with Ezri and her husband, David, 24, after Michael's conditioned worsened - forcing the 23-year-old to learn to parent overnight.
She was formally adopted by the couple in May.
Ezri, from Vancouver, Washington, US, who manages a freight warehouse, said: “When Michael got the cancer diagnosis, I had pretty big breakdown.
“Part of me was grieving for a life that I had planned for myself.
“I’m only 23, and was living a pretty typical life of a 23-year-old which I was kind of enjoying.
“Now I can’t do anything without also planning to take care of Braidyn.
“My plan B was altered with Michael as we thought he would have a year or two at least to live rather than a couple of weeks.
“I’m trying to create a sense of normalcy for Braidyn so we can have a general life plan ahead.
“She has had a lot of instability. I’m hoping we can get a nice place to live, and figure out how to work through all this."
Erika had a stroke in December 2022 and Ezri says she then refused to take blood pressure medication as it “made her feel funny".
Braidyn’s father, Michael, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumour, in late 2022.
Erika then had another stroke in February, which led to a serious brain bleed and she died on February 9.
Braidyn moved in with Ezri while Michael also moved to a separate house in Vancouver, WA.
Then, in June, Michael was given a maximum of three months to live, with doctor's predicting he will die in less than three weeks from now.
Having previously been given five years, his deterioration happened after he had an insurance issue when he moved to Vancouver and temporarily lost access to cancer treatment.
Ezri said: “My sister Braidyn was born when I was 12.
"Somehow I knew she was going to live with me at some point.
“Mum had bad mental health problems. I thought this would be the reason why she would have to give up Braidyn, but it ended up being because she passed away.
"The day she moved in with me was the first time she’d ever been outside of the east of Washington state.
“She came over from eastern Washington state.
“It was the first time she had been near mountains and trees.
“It was a really strange experience.
"I was really sad and yet Braidyn was having all these new life experiences - she was happy in a lot of ways.
Ezri has since started a GoFundMe, which can be donated to here (gofund.me/4bf16b30) to raise funds for Braidyn to be able to spend some precious time with Michael while he is still here and for his memorial.
They are trying to tick-off as many things as possible on Michael’s bucket list.
Ezri Hart has taken on care of Braidyn Neefe, 11, after her father Michael, 49, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Ezri and Braidyn share the same mother, Erika Neefe, 45, who died last year after a stroke.
Braidyn has now moved in with Ezri and her husband, David, 24, after Michael's conditioned worsened - forcing the 23-year-old to learn to parent overnight.
She was formally adopted by the couple in May.
Ezri, from Vancouver, Washington, US, who manages a freight warehouse, said: “When Michael got the cancer diagnosis, I had pretty big breakdown.
“Part of me was grieving for a life that I had planned for myself.
“I’m only 23, and was living a pretty typical life of a 23-year-old which I was kind of enjoying.
“Now I can’t do anything without also planning to take care of Braidyn.
“My plan B was altered with Michael as we thought he would have a year or two at least to live rather than a couple of weeks.
“I’m trying to create a sense of normalcy for Braidyn so we can have a general life plan ahead.
“She has had a lot of instability. I’m hoping we can get a nice place to live, and figure out how to work through all this."
Erika had a stroke in December 2022 and Ezri says she then refused to take blood pressure medication as it “made her feel funny".
Braidyn’s father, Michael, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumour, in late 2022.
Erika then had another stroke in February, which led to a serious brain bleed and she died on February 9.
Braidyn moved in with Ezri while Michael also moved to a separate house in Vancouver, WA.
Then, in June, Michael was given a maximum of three months to live, with doctor's predicting he will die in less than three weeks from now.
Having previously been given five years, his deterioration happened after he had an insurance issue when he moved to Vancouver and temporarily lost access to cancer treatment.
Ezri said: “My sister Braidyn was born when I was 12.
"Somehow I knew she was going to live with me at some point.
“Mum had bad mental health problems. I thought this would be the reason why she would have to give up Braidyn, but it ended up being because she passed away.
"The day she moved in with me was the first time she’d ever been outside of the east of Washington state.
“She came over from eastern Washington state.
“It was the first time she had been near mountains and trees.
“It was a really strange experience.
"I was really sad and yet Braidyn was having all these new life experiences - she was happy in a lot of ways.
Ezri has since started a GoFundMe, which can be donated to here (gofund.me/4bf16b30) to raise funds for Braidyn to be able to spend some precious time with Michael while he is still here and for his memorial.
They are trying to tick-off as many things as possible on Michael’s bucket list.