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We travel not to escape life, but for life to not escape us  -anonymous

LightenMe

Once-in-a-lifetime trips gifted to young moms with cancer

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Tat, Benguerra Island, Mozambique

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Tat, Noashima Island, Japan

Everyone should be so lucky to have the opportunity to travel, see the world and be forever changed by it's enormity and wonder.  Some people aren't so fortunate to have the means or time to wait for the day to be able experience those trips. LightenMe's mission is to fund and organize these unforgettable, life-changing experiences for young mom's with terminal breast cancer and their families. 

 

We do this because of Tatiana Carrier who would have loved nothing more than for others to feel as fortunate as she felt.  We create these experiences with her spirit and zest for life in every detail of them.

LightenMe is in the process of registering as a 501c3

However, in the meantime, donations to the LightenMe Donor-Advised-Fund are immediately tax deductible. Our goal is to grow LightenMe to be funding hundreds or even thousands of experiences. But like anything worth doing, we want to do it right, and so we're starting small.  Find out how you can help below.

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Donors contribute 💵

First off, contribute funds via donations! Your contributions are immediately tax-deductible. Donate cash, credit card, stocks, crypto, DAF or contact us to make a larger grant!

We're also looking into you donating your own funded trips, time at your vacation homes or on your jet, or your hotel and airline points. 

Are you in the travel+leisure or philanthropic world, or an amazing luxury travel planner?  Please reach out below!

02

Moms apply 📝

We're focusing first on young moms with breast cancer, like Tat was. So if this is you, sign-up! Tell us about you and your family. Tell us about what's on your bucket list and where you've always dreamed of going one day.

 

If you've always wanted to do a solo Eat, Pray, Love trip to Bali; a romantic trip with your partner to the Mediterranean; an adventure on Safari or to Disney World, we'll make it the most unforgettable and indelible experience you cannot even imagine.

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LightenMe plans + funds the trips 🛫

LightenMe selects moms and their families who apply to be the recipient of a once-in-a-lifetime trip as a gift to you. No expense spared, and at no cost to the families. LightenMe provides all the funding necessary, and our team will book and coordinate everything you need. We are experienced and mindful of the medical considerations young moms with cancer are going through, so don't worry - we got you covered!

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Families make memories 💝

Smile, Cry, Laugh, Reminisce, Journey, Play or let us pamper you to the max.  We will plan everything, or just show up and let us surprise you the whole way. Either way, it's memories like these, in places you've only dreamed of, that will become indelible snapshots in you and your families minds forever.

Questions? We've put together a few FAQs for you.

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What are you waiting for?! 
Moms or their close friends & families may apply.

lol, sorry Tat! She would hate me for using this picture...

'Close enough' to the edge, Machu Pichu

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Tatiana, Colin & Atlas

TATIANA CARRIER

A creative. A mom. A wife.

The light in every room and the reason everyone around her is forever better for her being.

Tatiana Carrier was diagnosed at 36 with Triple Negative breast cancer 4 days before she gave birth to our son and first baby, Atlas.  She was fortunate enough to have traveled the world, and lived with high amplitude for everything she did and celebrated all of it and everyone.  The courage, positivity and sheer beauty of her soul in the year she spent on her journey as a new mom while also contending with cancer was awe-inspiring.  

 

If you asked Tat how she found the strength and grace during the hardest of times, she'd talk always about how grateful she was for her life and experiences.  In the same breadth she'd talk about her travels.  Being away from home to see the world made it easier for her to appreciate her time here more, and to love the life and opportunities she had in 'real life'.  It was being away, grounded her when she got back.  It made her ever more grateful for her life and all the moments and time she had with everyone she loved.

And, for those especially luxurious trips, its easy to understand how she felt enormously lucky too :)

We used to talk about how these travels changed 'us'.  As a couple, it made us more grateful for each other and our time together.  Knowing we had these highs together, it also made us braver during the lows and the hardest imaginable time.  It allowed us to handle the impossible, to smile at the painful. It made us love more, and accept it all, because we got to experience a life full of extraordinary.

We know Tat is so proud to help inspire and recreate some of the same opportunities for others like her.

Jan 27, 1983 - Aug 12, 2020 // forever

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Work With Us

Volunteers.  We could move faster today with your help.  Organize trips, read moms' stories, help with partnerships, social media, etc.  If there's something you want to bring to the table let us know.

Charitable Partners.  Luxury Hotels, Airlines, Restaurants, Event Organizers, Celebrities, etc. We'd love to work with you.

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our dog, Santa, in Santa Barbara

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