That note is to you, from 10-year-old Angelina, daughter of Shi Qiu Chen and Geoffrey Ly. Last weekend, we brought you the story of the family, owners of New Leaf Bistro – opened in The Admiral District less than a year and a half ago – suddenly reeling from Geoffrey’s untimely death at age 55 shortly after a cancer diagnosis. Customer and friend Suzanne Krom found out about it and worked to organize a donation drive to help Shi Qiu, Angelina, and the family’s youngest child Kelvin as they dealt with funeral costs. Here’s a new photo of mother and daughter:

“Angelina has been a remarkable and steadfast support for her mother during this time,” Suzanne says, reporting that $16,248 has been raised in eight days via the GoFundMe page set up for the family, more than halfway to the goal of $30,000. She also shares this note of gratitude from Shi Qui Chen:

We deeply appreciate the incredible support that West Seattle is giving my children and me. I feel lifted up by all of you with so much generosity. It feels like a miracle to reach the halfway point for paying for his funerals so quickly. Thank you for showing me that you care so much. I have never asked for anything before, and now, being given so much by you, sometimes I feel overwhelmed with gratitude. I pour my love for West Seattle into my food and hope that you can receive it as my thank you. We are seeing many new customers in the restaurant, one of the best gifts you can give us. We will thank you every day by making our food with pure love and gratitude.

Suzanne says there is one more thing that could help – “a skilled small business coach who would be willing to volunteer some time to help her navigate being the sole owner of her restaurant.” If you have a suggestion or offer for that, you can contact Suzanne via the e-mail link on the GoFundMe page.