On Tuesday, my twin sister Tonja Ayers experienced a devastating medical event that ultimately led to her passing on Wednesday night. Tonja—my “Sissy”—was more than just my sister. She was a kind, quiet soul who would give her last dollar to help someone else. She was a loving mother, a devoted sister, and a true fighter until the very end. I share this message to celebrate her life, honor her strength, and thank everyone who supported us during this painful time. Her final act of love—donating her kidneys—has already saved two lives. She leaves behind two beautiful daughters, Kayleigh and Leah, who will continue to carry her spirit forward. Rest in peace, Sissy. I love you always.
For those who didn’t know, my twin sister Tonja Ayers suffered some sort of respiratory or cardiac event on Tuesday. As a result of that event, she had severe swelling in her brain that didn’t manifest until yesterday. After being hooked up to an EEG, and an additional CT scan, the results showed that the damage was permanent so today, at 8:32 pm, we unhooked her from her life support. Always the fighter, Tonja( I never call her by her name. For 47 years it’s been “Sissy” or Sister) tried to hold on for a little longer, but at 9:35 pm, a true angel got her wings. For anyone that knew her, for even a brief time, she was the quietest, and somehow funniest person you ever met. And if you were a dollar short, and that dollar kept her from getting herself something, it didn’t matter. She was going to give it to you anyway!
In these situations you tend to say to yourself, I could have done more, I could have talked to her more, I could have messaged her more often, but the reality is, it could never be enough.
We have always been extremely close, but time passes so quickly, and in going through my phone, I hadn’t messaged her since just before New Years. But I remedied that. Just before I made the difficult decision of letting her go, I sent her one last text, and it simply said “I love you”.
And I do love you Sissy. No one has known you longer than me. Nine months in the womb together is something only we can share.
I miss you already, but I can’t be with you right now. I still have some things to do down here. Save me a spot, tell Grandma and Grandpa I love them, and I’ll see you when my work here is done.
Thanks so much to the staff and doctors at Providence St Pete for taking care of us and my sister in her last days on earth.
For those I’ve tagged, thank you so much for being here and we love you all.
To everyone who stopped by to express their love of my sister, I thank you.
Update: My sister was registered as a donor, and the hospital let me know very early this morning that her kidneys were able to be used, and that she helped save two lives. The kidney donor list is the longest and I am so proud of her.
Also for those who know, she has two beautiful daughters Kayleigh is 16 and Leah is turning 13 this week.
They are coming home with me for a time, and both of their fathers have stepped up and are making arrangements for them to be with them.