Update: Request for photos of Michal.

Please email your photos of Michal to [email protected] for inclusion in the slideshow that will be projected during the celebration of Michal’s life and music on 12/19 at the Canal Room [NYC]. Two megapixels or better (1600 pixels wide or greater) would be helpful. We’re looking for photos from any part of her life you wish to share.

Show details:

http://www.facebook.com/events/193005674118216/

~

Update: Jay Snyder’s eulogy for his wife & love, Michal Friedman.

Update: via Lynn Friedman:

Dear friends,

There will be a memorial service for Michal Friedman in Halifax on Thursday, December 8th, at 5 PM, at the Shambhala Centre, 1084 Tower Road.

Your love and support continue to blow us away. Thank you all. It will be wonderful to see you and be together for this final goodbye.

No flowers, please – in lieu of these or other gifts, please send donations to thesnydertwins.com

~

Update: new article: Singer Michal the Girl Dies After Giving Birth to Twins #inwood #wahi #whin #nyc cc @elephantjournal @JoesPubNYC

Click here for photos and to help:

Update:

The babies are healthy and peaceful, and Jay and the rest of the family are spending lots of time with them in the hospital. Jay is playing their mom’s music for them.

For those of you who never met her, Michal was a beautiful, talented woman who was thrilled to be pregnant with her first children. Many of you know Michal as a musician, but her greatest dream was to be a mother. For the last seven years, Michal and Jay had been using every possible resource they had to make this dream come true. Michal was widely loved, and in particular has left behind many friends in the Shambhala sangha, the Khyentse sangha, and the music and voice community in New York City where she made her home.

Many people are inspired to offer help for her husband Jay and their children. This generosity is greatly appreciated and would provide tremendous relief. Although there will obviously be needs far into the future, we are trying to help with immediate expenses, which will add up so quickly with twins. Jay needs all the support he can get in order to provide the care that’s needed for Jackson and Reverie. To that end, a website has been created where people can make a donation and send a note which will go directly to Jay.

To access the site, please visit http://thesnydertwins.com/. If people would prefer to donate by mail, checks can be made out to James Snyder and sent to Michal’s sister at the following address: Maitreya Rich, 327 1/2 N. Stanley Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036.

If you would like to see images and video of Michal The Girl, and/or are inspired to leave a remembrance or aspiration, Elephant Journal has also set up a memoriam page here.

A service will be held at the New York Shambhala Center, this Wednesday, Nov. 30th, at 4pm (118 W 22nd St, 6th floor New York, NY 10011-2416, (212) 675-6544).

Please feel free to circulate this…

Update via Michal’s younger sister, Maitreya:

As most of you know by now, my “little big sister” Michal died Friday night due to complications from a c-section, shortly after delivering healthy twins, Reverie and Jackson. Many people have asked how they can help Michal’s husband Jay and their children. This generosity is greatly appreciated and would provide tremendous relief. Although there will obviously be needs far into the future, we ar…e trying to help with immediate expenses, which will add up so quickly with twins. Jay needs all the support he can get in order to provide the care that’s needed for Jackson and Reverie. To that end, a site has been set up where people can make donations: www.thesnydertwins.com

A service will be held at the New York Shambhala Center on Wednesday, Nov. 30th, at 4pm (118 W 22nd St, 6th floor, New York, NY 10011-2416, (212) 675-6544).

We so much appreciate all of your love and support during this incredibly difficult time.

Update via Michal’s sister Lynn:

Update on Michal Friedman.

Dear Friends,

As most of you already know by now, Michal Friedman passed away last Friday after delivering the two healthy babies that she had wanted more than anything in the world. Your outpouring of support after our first message has been overwhelming, and we thought that we should send you an update.

The babies, Jackson and Reverie, are beautiful, healthy and peaceful. They are still in hospital, but are being visited frequently by family and have spent a lot of time with their dad Jay. He has been playing their mother’s music in their room so they will feel near her.

Most of Michal and Jay’s family members are now in New York making all the practical arrangements and taking care of each other, the babies, and most importantly Jay. There is also a huge circle of emotional support from Jay and Michal’s friends here in the city – providing chauffeur, catering and every kind of other service imaginable. Also, there is the strongly felt presence of everyone’s tears and heartfelt prayers and practice around the world – we appreciate that so much.

The services will be held on Wednesday, November 30th, at 4 PM at the New York Shambhala Centre, located at 118 West 22nd St, 6th floor. We will also be organizing a memorial service in Halifax when we get back, sometime next week.

Many of you have asked if there is a way to send financial support for Jay and the babies – we are working on setting that up, and will let you know when we have finalized those details.

Love to you all,

The Friedmans

Music by Michal:

The world seems awfully fragile, this morning.

I just heard the worst and most heartbreaking news imaginable about one of my friends, a sangha sister. Please pray/pray for her and her family.

Sorry, all, I didn’t want to put the news out there for those who hadn’t heard from the family, first. Seems that most know, now, having seen sangha-announce or heard from a loved one.

Here’s the note from Lynn, her sister. Please hold the family in your thoughts today—even if you didn’t know Michal—this one deserves all the love of the greater community that you can offer.

Lynn Friedman
Subject: Unspeakably Sad News Dear friends,

We are so sorry to have to tell you that our beautiful sister, aunt and daughter, Michal F, lost her life tonight in New York City, due to complications from a Caesarian section, after giving birth to two beautiful, healthy twin babies.

Needless to say, we are in shock. Please send your love and support to her, her husband Jay, and her babies Jackson and Reverie. We haven’t organized plans for services, etc. – we will send more details when we know.

We know that so many of you knew and loved Michal – and we appreciate our precious connection with all of you.

Yours in endless heartbreak,

The Friedmans (Lynn, Wendy, Maitreya, Ken and Julia McKaig)

“Michal the Girl.” (her albums are available for sale, she’s amazing, proceeds will help her new family immensely).

Please practice/pray for her and her family.

Last night at 3 am (I was up late, working) my inbox received one of the least-welcome emails in my life: Michal, a beautiful in-and-out, happy newlywed (she was married last year) had just given birth to two healthy babies…and completely unexpectedly passed away in childbirth. This news is enough to make anyone who knew and loved her physically sick with heartbreak.

I’m not sure what to say, but I’ve practiced for her a bit and spent some time remembering her and will continue to do so and the family would very much appreciate it I’m sure if you do the same (or if you pray, wonderful).

If you’d like to share a heart-warming prayer or thought or memory of her, please do so below and help her wonderful family think of her love and life and not this horrible sadness.

Resources:

Let us wake up: learn to appreciate and live each moment fully. Buddhist teaching “Death comes without warning.” (warning: mute if you like at first, first video auto-plays)

Buddhist teaching: The Four Reminders, via Frank Berliner.