10-Year-Old's Parents Died Within A Year. Here's How You Can Help Her

CHICAGO — Two years ago, Sara Murray's father, Ray, died of a heart attack. She was 8 years old.

A year later, in 2015, Murray's mother, Jessica, died after a 12-year battle with a brain tumor that saw her go through seven surgeries and countless other procedures. It's likely Ray Murray's heart attack was caused due to the stress of his wife's ordeal, said Jessica's sister, Vivian Karpowicz.

"I can honestly say this experience is like no other I, or anyone in my family, has ever experienced," said Karpowicz, of Jefferson Park. "You cannot prepare for the emotional roller coaster you live through."

Karpowicz and her husband, Ron, are 10-year-old Sara's guardians now, and they are organizing a fundraiser for her set for Oct. 14 at La Villa restaurant, 3638 N. Pulaski Road. Tickets are $50.

Sara, an Irving Park native who's a fifth-grader at Farnsworth Elementary, has continued to earn straight A's despite both her parents' deaths within a span of a year. She looks at pictures of her and her mom and dad together often, especially a photo of them at Navy Pier.

"I miss Momma and Daddy so much," she said. "I love looking at their pictures, especially the ones I'm in so I can remember where we were when we took the picture. The one we took at Navy Pier I love the most because it's the one next to me when I sleep."

Vivian Karpowicz said Oct. 14's event is so important because it will raise money for Sara's future college education but also as a way to remember his parents.

"We want Sara to be able celebrate her mom's life and to always remember her and her dad, too," she said. "We thought what better way remember and celebrate Jessica than to have a party."

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