Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/tragedy-strikes-rescue-family/

Aria, Austin, and Isabella Amos are still teenagers, but they’ve already spent years helping homeless animals.

The Australian siblings were just kids when they joined their parents, Rachel and Anthony Amos, on a cross-country road trip across the United States.

For 3 years, the Amos’ lived and traveled in an RV to raise awareness about animal adoption–and the millions of shelter pets needlessly euthanized in the U.S. each year. The family’s Bathe to Save tour ultimately saved thousands of lives, raised money for rescues, and even inspired an Animal Planet series aptly called Furever Home.

But after years of helping needy animals, the tables have tragically turned. After a series of heartbreaking tragedies, the Amos’ are now desperately seeking help.

In 2020, Rachel Amos unexpectedly passed away following a botched medical procedure. Within a year, Anthony Amos had also died, leaving his children suddenly orphaned.

“We literally watched them both be so healthy, and we just watched them die,” said Bella Amos, who–like her younger siblings–is struggling to process the sudden loss of both her parents.

Rachel and Anthony’s deaths have also left the Amos children stranded in the U.S. without any family, savings, or even a permanent place to live. Once their father died, the Amos children were even evicted when their landlord learned they couldn’t pay the rent.

The eldest daughter, Bella, has just turned 18, but without an American working visa, she can’t legally get a job to support her younger siblings. Meanwhile, Anthony Amos left a life insurance policy, but insurers apparently aren’t being forthcoming with the money.

This heartbreaking dilemma led family friends to create a GoFundMe page to help the Amos children afford rent and basic living expenses for one year.

“A lot can change in a year, but for these 3 siblings, tragically losing both of their parents, their home, and their way has forced them into unimaginable circumstances,” organizers wrote on GoFundMe. “Meet Aria, Austin, and Isabella Amos… 3 teenagers battling the loss of their mom to medical malpractice, their father to cancer, and their family’s legacy in jeopardy.”

The GoFundMe page (which was organized by a family friend) hopes to raise $80,000 to pay for rent, clothes, gas, school, and other basic needs, including food for the family’s pet rabbits and rescued dog, Bubbles.

Now Bella, Austin, and Aria wear matching key pendants made from their parents’ ashes and wedding rings to remember their mom and dad, who were both 49 when they died.

The Amos children are hoping to raise enough money to rent a place where they can live together and properly grieve, which has so far been impossible following the chaos of their parents’ sudden passing.

“We just want to heal in our own space where we can have that freedom, where we’re not stepping on anyone’s toes,” said Bella, who will be caring for her younger siblings while they complete high school.

Learn more about this family’s heartbreaking story in the following video. Please consider making a donation to help the Amos children weather this difficult time.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog