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What is going on, true crime fans? I'm your host, Heath. And I'm your host, Daphne. And you're listening to Going West. Hello, everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in. We have a super important story today. Every story is important, but this one in particular, surprisingly, we have not gotten a recommendation for. But it is such a bizarre case. It is a missing and murdered indigenous woman case out of Canada. I know we don't really venture out to Canada or
other countries on Going West. We usually save that for real crime, but, and we were originally going to make this a bonus episode on our real crime series, but it didn't feel right to do that because this case needs a lot more answers than it has. So please listen up. Thank you for tuning in.
and do not forget to share it. Yes, absolutely. Please share this episode. And if you are looking for more episodes of Going West, you can check us out, our series Real Crime, on either Patreon or Apple subscriptions.
We just came out with a bonus episode on the case of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart in New Zealand, which is the first case we've ever covered in New Zealand. And it's a crazy boating case. Yeah, that is the case we did instead of Shalana's case for one of this month's bonus episodes. I mean, genuinely one of the craziest stories we have ever covered across the board. That one blew my mind.
blows my mind in so many ways. Yeah, so go check out that episode and over 100 other bonus episodes on either Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Alright guys, this is episode 385 of Going West, so let's get into it. 🎵
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In March of 2020, a 23-year-old indigenous woman went missing while taking a walk outside her Haida Gwaii, B.C. home.
Despite the fact that she had confided in loved ones about having a stalker, her case received very little attention due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. But what really happened to her? And does someone in her community hold the key? This is the story of Shalanna Brown.
Shalanna Megan Lewis Brown was born in April of 1997 in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada. The daughter of Monica and Alan, she grew up in the small indigenous island village of Old Masset with her two brothers, Quentin and Gavin. Brown-haired, brown eyes, Shalanna was part of a very spiritual family who were part of the Haida indigenous nation.
The Haida people have been occupying the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of British Columbia for between 6,000 and 8,000 years, with the land being known as the place where time began per Haida legend.
The notoriously isolated islands have been affectionately referred to as the Northern Galapagos for their biodiversity and difficult travel conditions. And the islands can only be reached by sea or air. There's actually a six to eight hour ferry, just depending on the weather, that can be taken from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Haida Gwaii, which looks absolutely beautiful.
The archipelago is made up of around 1,000 different small islands, with the vast majority of people being concentrated on the two main islands, Graham and Mooresby, as those two are the only islands with roads.
Shalanna's town, which is Old Masset and located on Graham Island, was much smaller with a population of only around 800 people. So the only way in or out of the island is through a ferry in the town of Skidegate, which is some 60 miles away from Old Masset, and the island has no public transportation, making Old Masset a very small town where everyone knows everyone. And that's where today's story takes place.
So yeah, it's just a good thing to remember that this is a very small and rural area anyway, but again, the fact that the closest ferry to get off the island is 60 miles away just definitely puts it into perspective. So the Haida are a fairly small ethnic group with a dwindling population in Canada. Haida Gwaii's population as of 2021 was around 4,500 people, with the Haida population on the island being around half of them.
While there is no established scientific theory, according to the oral tradition told by the Haida chief Albert Edward Edenshaw, the Haida people came from northern Alaska before traveling to Haida Gwaii while looking for new territory. The islands were formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, the name being one of the many ghosts of colonialism that continue to haunt Canada and its native peoples.
But the name was changed in 2010 in order to highlight and celebrate the Haida people. Shalanna was part of a dance group that embraced local native cultural traditions, which she absolutely loved, especially because she had been dancing since she was a child, and she became lead dancer when she was just 10 years old. She was a masked dancer in the group and always worked hard to become better every single day, making dance practice a regular part of her routine.
So much of Shalanna's life revolved around her people's traditions and becoming more in tune with them. Shalanna also worked as a camp coordinator for the Rediscovery Camp on Graham Island, where she helped kids and elders alike with reconnecting and rediscovering their indigenous roots.
While her family was deeply entrenched in cultural native traditions, Shalanna was a free thinker, oftentimes questioning and confronting her mother Monica's at times non-native friendly beliefs by saying, quote, But their relationship was loving and trusting, and they knew that they could always confide in each other.
Especially since Shalanna, unfortunately, did not have the luxury of turning to her father for advice, because he passed away when she was seven years old, which made her lean on her mom a lot more. Shalanna was not only creative in her pursuit of dancing, but also was an avid writer, logging multiple entries in not only her journal, but also her laptop.
She was just a 23-year-old woman trying her best to live a full, passionate life in a small town when she mysteriously disappeared. Prior to Shalanna's disappearance, she confided in her family that she felt as though she was being stalked, her family was being harassed, and just that she felt unsafe in her small island community.
While the small-town atmosphere would leave few possibilities as to who was to blame, she never exclusively told her mother Monica who she was talking about, like who was stalking her and threatening her and her family. But feeling unsafe and anxious about the whole situation, she turned to her creative endeavors to find some peace and tried to persevere regardless.
Unfortunately, as it was March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was really taking effect. So meeting up with friends or going to a public place to try to get away from her troubles wasn't something she was really able to do, even in an isolated community like hers, because British Columbia issued a province-wide state of emergency on March 18th, which is
is really about the time that everybody was doing that across the world. Like, we were seeing that everywhere. Yeah, absolutely. Daphne and I were living here in L.A. during that time, and I think it was March 18th or March 19th. Yeah, it was right... During that week, everybody was just...
Shutting down and that was the same for her small community again because it was province wide. So what she was able to do and what she kind of focused on were taking long morning walks by the water. And this was quickly becoming a common part of her daily routine, which she was really enjoying. She would go walking and find a quiet, calm spot where she could sit and reflect and do one of her favorite things, write.
On her Facebook page, a post from March 20th, 2020, so two days after the state of emergency was issued, she posted a photo that showed a common morning walk scene. Shalanna was wearing an olive green hoodie with the hood on, throwing a peace sign to the camera, and her lips were pursed, almost like she's kind of like blowing a kiss to the camera, and she was wearing a white shirt.
And then her laptop is on her lap. So kind of imagine raising your left arm a little bit and taking a selfie of you and then your lap. And you can kind of see that she is just sitting in nature. It looks like a really great spot. Looks like she was having a nice, peaceful time. She was wearing headphones, probably listening to music and no doubt writing something in her journal when she took the photo, which is up on our socials for you guys to see.
The photo boasts a sunny spot, so we can picture her just enjoying the warm rays on a chilly winter day. She had found this great spot in the sun. So after riding for a while, she eventually returned home to the house that she lived in with her mother Monica and her brothers. This truly was a day like any other, ending around 10.30 p.m. by Shalanna sort of apologizing to her mother for the stress about her alleged stalker.
She said that she was sorry for, quote, bringing so much trouble around. And her mother, Monica, comforted her by saying, quote, trouble has always been here. Shalana said goodnight to her brothers, her mother, and then went to bed. Now, the following day, which was March 21st, 2020, Shalana woke up like any other morning, but this time earlier than her whole family.
She got ready for her usual morning walk, and then she left her home before any of her relatives could notice. Her cell phone, for whatever reason, was left behind, so neither her mother nor her brothers could communicate with her all day. Shalanna was 23 at the time, so the decision to leave her phone at home was definitely an uncommon one, and one that is still questioned.
Unfortunately, given the mystery around the situation, it's simply unknown whether it was common for Shalanna to leave her phone at home, since we know that she would bring her electronics in general, i.e. her laptop to write, or just another coincidence that took place that day. And not to harp on this too much, but I feel like knowing that she was afraid for her safety and noticing those wired earbuds in her ears in that laptop photo that we talked about that was taken just the day before this...
I can't imagine that she would have left it on purpose. Like, she loved listening to music during her walks. So this is a really weird detail that on this freaking particular day, she left her phone at home. Yeah, and it almost seems like fate when you think about it because...
I think all of us have probably accidentally left our cell phone at home, you know, before at least a few times. I have personally. But, you know, this particular day, why did that happen? You know? Well, we can talk about this later, too, when you guys are aware of more details in this case. But I almost wonder if this happened on this day because she didn't have her phone and
and had to resort to getting a ride from somebody or something along those lines, which again, we're going to discuss, but it almost makes me wonder if this was part of the cause. Well, after her mother noticed that she didn't come home that night, Shalana was reported missing to local police.
So much of what happened to Shalanna Brown is shrouded in mystery that it's difficult at times to establish a clear timeline and by consequence, a narrative. But there were two alleged sightings of the 5'3", 170-pound Shalanna.
One of them was in an area on the outskirts of Masset called Pure Lake around 5:15 p.m. And remember, she left on her walk in the morning. So, you know, basically the entire day had passed before this sighting. And another happened in Port Clemens, which is an area about 15 miles south of Pure Lake. A witness claims to have seen Shalanna walking along a stretch of Highway 16 in Old Masset.
Now, as Daphne mentioned earlier, there is no public transportation in Haida Gwaii, so Shalanna had no way of reaching wherever it was that she was spotted via a bus, train, or any sort of communal transportation, which means that she either would have had to walk all that way, or she had hitched a ride. Shalanna also did not have a driver's license, so driving to wherever it was that she was going was definitely not a possibility.
Yeah, and it's unfortunately really common for local indigenous people to not have driver's licenses in the area, thanks to several barriers getting in their way, like such as difficulty accessing vision care or not having the needed identification or even something as trivial as not having access to mechanics in order to make sure cars are suitable for a driver's test. So
That just made it really hard for Shalanna to get around. Yeah, exactly. And locals commented on an Instagram page created to help find Shalanna that they were astounded that she would walk that far with all sightings placing her south of Masset. The closest one putting her over 15 miles away from home, which, you know, would have been at least a five hour walk. Right.
So even though it's definitely possible that she could have walked, given all those factors, it's most likely that Shalanna hitchhiked to wherever it was that she was spotted on Highway 16. But why she would have done that isn't clear. And that's why I had brought this up just a few minutes ago, actually, that if she accidentally left her phone...
Maybe when she did realize she didn't want to turn back and thought, hey, I'm going to clear my head, not listen to music today. I'm just going to listen to nature and keep going. And then I'll walk home. I do this all the time. And then maybe she got too far and realized that the best way to get back was to
And actually, while there's no exact consensus of the location of her sightings, they all happened along a specific stretch of Highway 16, a stretch that bears a very dark past.
And truly a very dark present. Yes, because that specific stretch of the highway is locally referred to as the Highway of Tears. Due to the unfortunately high number of crimes against an inordinate number of missing and murdered indigenous women that have taken place in that area.
So beginning in 1970, the 400-mile corridor of Highway 16 connecting Prince Rupert and Prince George in British Columbia has been the location of far too many violent crimes against women. The total number of victims being up for debate to this day.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or the RCMP, claims the number to be fewer than 18 women, while several Aboriginal organizations believe the number of murdered and missing women to be higher than 40. The enduring nature of the crimes and the challenges in identifying perpetrators can be attributed to an immense web of socioeconomic factors. For example, poverty plays a massive role in perpetuating these crimes.
It not only contributes to limited resources for law enforcement, but also fosters an environment where residents face extreme vulnerability. Substance abuse only worsens the issue, creating a backdrop of high risk and making it challenging to break the cycle of crime. And a very tragic and, in this case, key consequence of poverty is the low rates of car ownership and limited mobility within these communities. And then as a result...
Hitchhiking, which as we know can be extremely dangerous, becomes not just a mode of travel but a necessity for individuals trying their best to traverse huge distances to connect with family or get to work or pursue any type of education or access much-needed medical services, putting them completely at the mercy of the driver who stops for them.
The lack of viable public transportation options, especially the absence of bus services linking most northern communities with urban centers, only worsens the transportation challenges faced by the residents of Haida Gwaii. So as you can imagine, the failure of the British Columbia provincial government to establish reasonable alternatives to hitchhiking just aggravates the vulnerability of those who need to travel and have no other options.
And that really is why the Highway of Tears is what it is, because of the complete lack of accessible transportation options. It just leaves people with no choice but to put themselves in precarious situations, making them easy targets for criminals and predators.
And that could very well be what happened in Shalanna's case. Absolutely, and also the high amount of domestic violence in these communities contributes to an overall environment of insecurity and fear, especially for women. The detachment from traditional culture is another factor that underscores the systemic challenges faced by the affected population.
And the destabilization of family structure stems from shameful historical practices, such as foster care and Canadian Indian residential school systems. And actually, Shalana's mother Monica was a student in the regrettable indigenous residential school programs in Canada. So the traumas are just all too close to home.
But given all of this, the Highway of Tears is unfortunately the perfect place for a woman, particularly indigenous, to go missing. Activists assert that the media has provided limited coverage to these cases, contending that there is a perceived devaluation of indigenous women in the media.
Despite the disappearances spanning back to 1970, it wasn't until 2005 that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police started a task force to examine similarities among these cases. 35 years plus. Yeah. And notably, Nicole Hoare, who was a white woman that vanished in 2002, garnered a disproportionate amount of media attention.
And she was actually the first among the Highway of Tears cases to be featured in prominent outlets, such as the Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, and Edmonton Journal.
And just to put the road's danger into perspective, the Highway of Tears, Highway 16, here are some startling figures. So just 12 days before Shalanna went missing, a woman, 62-year-old Joy Morris, was found dead by the Highway of Tears. And since Shalanna's disappearance on March 21st, 2020,
Five women have been murdered on that same stretch of the Highway of Tears, with the latest being in October of 2023. And we're recording this episode in late February of 2024. So the thought of Shalanna hitchhiking in that extremely dangerous area is troubling to say the least. And although we don't know if that is where she was met with trouble, it's hard not to consider.
Shalanna's disappearance on March 21st, 2020 cast a horrible shadow over her small, tight-knit community, unfortunately coinciding with a global pandemic brought about by the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic, with its fear and uncertainty, added a layer of complexity to the already unsettling situation.
And as news of Shalanna's disappearance broke, her community found itself grappling with the dual challenges of searching for a missing member amidst the global health crisis. Many of the elders in the already small Haida community were afraid to venture out and become sick, so the widespread fear of COVID prompted a hesitancy to be out and about, especially in large groups. Which
Which is what's typical and preferred when searching for a missing person, especially in such rural terrain. The heightened concerns for safety and the need to follow health guidelines made the search efforts extremely challenging, not only for locals, but also for local law enforcement.
And despite all of this, police were luckily able to act quickly in their efforts to find Shalanna. And very early on, they utilized helicopters in order to conduct an air search for her, hoping to find some trace of where she had gone. But unfortunately, to no avail. And yet, another effort was their use of search dogs along the Highway of Tears, knowing that she had been spotted there by two different people at two different points in the evening.
I mean, they were out there desperately searching for Shalanna, tracking the scent from clothing provided to police by her mother Monica.
But again, unfortunately, nothing of note was found. Now, despite the pandemic, some individuals bravely ventured out immediately to look for Shalana, just driven by a sense of urgency to find this young fellow member of their community. And others who were more mindful of the risks associated with the pandemic joined the search when circumstances allowed, trying to find a balance between the urgency of the situation and the need to prioritize their own personal and communal safety.
The community, typically closely connected, was rocked by the news of Shalanna's disappearance, especially since they were a small town in a very, you know, everyone knows everyone atmosphere. So they just couldn't fathom how this could have happened and why. And of course, now they're thinking, is someone amongst us responsible for this? Yeah, if you're in a community where everybody knows everybody...
You would imagine that somebody in that small community is probably responsible. Exactly. So then, of course, with this, rumors kind of start to swirl. People start talking. And a lot of people claim that she must have been taken, while others said that she probably purposefully went into hiding. But most believe that something bad had happened.
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Under a Reddit post on r slash unsolved mysteries, several Redditors wildly speculate over what could have happened to Shalanna Brown. And given the anonymous nature of the internet, there is no way to confirm anyone's accounts of what took place, obviously. However, a user by the name of ForsakenConcept2107 claimed to be a part of the local search parties for Shalanna, saying, quote, I
I was part of the search when Shalanna was first discovered missing. Items of hers were found scattered on the back forest roads, including her backpack and undergarments. There are theories as to why she may have left in the first place, but as far as I know, the family believes foul play is involved.
It's hard to get off the island without being spotted by someone who would recognize you, especially as a local, and it's very hard to hide yourself, especially on such a small island. I hope so badly she's out there and unharmed, but the circumstances don't exactly point to that.
So, yeah, good to potentially get a local's point of view on that, knowing that if somebody did this and tried to get off the island with her, they would have been recognized, which isn't a very smart thing if you're trying to escape after you did something wrong, right? Yeah, absolutely. And the fact that, you know, he's talking about these details about the undergarments being found in the backpack being found.
These are things that are not publicized. These are things that you don't really see in the national media. Well, exactly. And actually, the only official police narrative to this day is their announcement that on March 30th, so a week after she went missing, a week-ish...
A sweater was found that may have belonged to Shalanna, along with a piece of her backpack, but no one is exactly sure. And I mean, it's super common in unsolved cases to abstain from sharing too much information to the public. So it's definitely possible that if this Reddit is a local who was a part of the search team, that they witnessed or heard about these items being found, and the police just haven't given all the details to the public yet.
Well, unfortunately, to this day, that's about all that's been found that could possibly be linked to Shelanna Brown. And police efforts have basically dwindled because there haven't been any new leads. There have been no more witnesses, no more pieces of evidence, no possible connections for Shelanna's case. It's now, sadly, for all intents and purposes, a cold missing persons case.
And honestly, it just seems highly improbable to me that in a community that small, no one has any idea what happened to her and nobody has inklings or knowledge who her stalker could be, which then brings about another question. If she really did have a stalker like she's claiming she did, is this the same person that
that she potentially met foul play with the day that she went missing. Because the only way I could see that being possible is if, I mean, that person happened to be driving by her at some point that day, or if they were following her, which is definitely possible as well. But it's, again, because she didn't tell anybody who this person was,
Yeah, I mean, it's kind of crazy that they don't have any suspects or they don't even have any, like...
as to who it could be. It doesn't seem like they, you know, they really have anything at all. At least that they haven't released, which again is common, but I wish there was more conversation around this. But there's nothing really out there at all, even though in so many cases we cover, even the rumors surface the internet, but that's really not happening here with anybody saying this one guy is really weird, you know? But I also want to mention,
For those wondering, given that no evidence has indicated that Shalanna was killed, the investigation could not be escalated into a murder investigation, which would obviously facilitate more resources for local police in order to expand their searches for Shalanna. But as we said, foul play is heavily suspected by those who knew her and those in the community.
However, one rather grim theory presented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is that Shalana may have taken her own life. So,
So while examining Shalanna's phone and computer for any possible evidence, police found a series of, quote, disturbing writings that made them wonder if she had any suicidal ideations. But we do want to say that while the contents of these writings have never been revealed to the public, the family were quick to outright dismiss these claims as nothing more than wild speculation on the police's part, saying that they were merely examples of Shalanna's dynamic writings
and not a suicide note as posited by the RCMP. Given the police's accusation that her daughter had written a suicide note, Monica Brown and her son were blunt with their reply to police to not contact them unless they found any tangible evidence that could lead them to finding their loved one. Monica said, quote, "A body, DNA sample, dental records, those are the only things we'll accept as conclusive."
On April 10th, 2021, a walk was held to honor missing and murdered indigenous people by several members of the Haida community. Shalana was prominently featured, her disappearance being a far too recent happening in their small town of Old Masset.
On May 5th, 2021, Shalanna's family also attended the first annual Red Dress Day march honoring missing and murdered indigenous women, and Shalanna's grandfather sang a traditional Mohawk Indian song to honor his missing granddaughter. The sudden vanishing of Shalanna has naturally been extremely challenging for her mother, Monica Brown.
She told the Coastal First Nations Bear Initiative in an article about Shalanna that in the first year, she spent so much of her emotional energy just trying to set the record straight about her daughter, who she claimed police had painted into a quote, "scared little girl who was out in the woods where she didn't belong." When in fact, she knew her daughter to be a very resourceful, strong, intelligent woman who was familiar with the land, not a damsel in distress.
Monica said, quote, Monica also expressed extreme anguish at how the police initially handled the situation.
claiming that they were actively telling people not to go out and help search due to the risk posed by COVID-19. They also claimed people would only complicate the search if they got involved. It would make their work more difficult.
In her never-ending quest to find her daughter, Monica has experienced the anxiety and agony of hearing about the discovery of a body, only to find that it's not Shalanna far too many times. But she still holds out hope that one day, something will be found, and she'll get the answers that she desperately seeks. Monica has established a GoFundMe to allocate resources to help in her search, and started a Facebook page called "Bring Shalanna Home."
A handsome reward now standing at $85,000 Canadian dollars has been announced for anyone that has any information that could lead to the discovery of Chilana Brown.
On January 16th, 2024, Monica Brown made a post on the Bring Shalanna Home Facebook page that included a bunch of photos, mostly of Shalanna, but then one of a bag that she made with a red upside down ghost face weaved onto it. And they were captioned, quote, "'It has been three years and 43 weeks since Shalanna went missing.'"
During this time, I have done lots of healing, research, more healing, courses on trauma work, indigenous coaching. My circle of friends and family has gotten very small. Another way of healing has been through weaving. It's been a struggle, falling apart to allow for more healing. The upside-down ghost face for me represents my daughter Shalanna missing, vanished, no answers.
Her and other indigenous women, men, girls, and boys continue to go missing at an alarming rate with little to nothing being done. Calls for action with little to nothing. This is why there is no face, only a red hand.
represents the silencing of such matters in our society. I will continue to speak out. I will continue to take a stand. I will continue to grow and learn. So many in history haven't been given the right to speak, ended up in jail, residential schools, day school, sent away to Mormon homes, sent away to foster homes. How many more people do we need to go missing, murdered before anything is done?
In the search for Shalanna Brown, several questions have been raised and nearly none have been answered. A nebulous mix of conflicting timelines, witness testimonies, and online rumors have made the story of Shalanna Brown's disappearance an extremely difficult case to follow. Why did Shalanna feel unsafe for herself and her family? Who was this mystery person that she claimed was stalking her?
And why did police actively discourage people from searching the area? And we think it's really helpful to read a few more forum comments because it's always good getting local perspectives. So one commenter wrote, quote, "RCMP are absolutely notorious for the lack of fucks that they give about MMIW." Between that and the fact that this happened in the first couple of weeks of the pandemic, I'm not surprised that there's been very little media attention about her case.
I live in interior BC and never saw a single article about her. Masset is located in the Haida Gwaii Islands off the west coast of the province. It's quite remote and, like most areas of BC, is thickly forested and very rugged. The communities there are small and far between, and resources are limited. Travel between Haida Gwaii and the mainland can be challenging, and I would hazard a guess that she never left the islands.
Someone else said, quote, I used to live on Haida Gwaii. The bush is super thick there, so if she was kidnapped, she honestly probably will never be found. One more commenter said, quote, It definitely sounds like her stalker took advantage of the fact that not as many people were going out, what with the pandemic, and knew that it was unlikely that they would have witnesses.
It really just seems like someone in her community has to know something or have an idea of what happened because again, the community is so small. And one more commenter said, quote, Regardless of the lingering questions, Monica Brown has not given up hope.
she relentlessly continues the search for her daughter, stopping at nothing to bring her home.
She is certain Shalanna is somewhere on the island. She just doesn't know where. Saying, quote, I can feel her. I just can't figure out where she is. That's why I go back and look. Because she needs to be able to see or hear. Maybe even one person will see that missing persons poster or post on social media and might be able to make a connection. Help in any way.
If you or anyone you know has any information that could lead to the discovery of Shalanna Brown, please reach out to Canadian authorities or to Crimestoppers at BeCrimestoppers.com and the Bring Shalanna Home Facebook page. And if you can, please donate to their GoFundMe. The link is in the description of this episode. ♪♪♪
Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. And on Friday, we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into. I know there's not a ton of information on this case, but that really is where the problem lies, that there's not enough media coverage. So please make sure that you share Shalanna's story.
Her family deserves to know what happened to her. We have her missing poster on our socials. All you got to do is repost it or tell somebody about this episode. Yeah, and like Daphne said, if you can, please go check out the GoFundMe. Donate if you feel like you can. We're definitely going to do that. So again, thank you guys so much for listening. Share this episode and we'll see you next time. All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger.
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