Community Member-Led Initiative

Jill Smokler was, above everything, herself. In a world full of people performing some perfect version of their lives, Jill was Jill. And in doing it, she made millions of people feel a little less alone.

She was the founder of Scary Mommy, the blog and community she started in 2008 while drowning at home with three kids four and under, convinced she was the only mother in the world not waltzing gracefully through it. Over the years that community grew to millions, and Jill became a New York Times bestselling author, a Forbes Top Ten Parenting Influencer, and a familiar warmth on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and more.

But anyone who knew her knew the résumé was the least interesting part. Jill could be brilliant and ridiculous in the same sentence. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a force. And above all of it, she was the mother of three extraordinary people — Lily, Ben, and Evan — the thing she was proudest of in the entire world, and it wasn't close.

Jill died of glioblastoma, an aggressive and currently incurable brain cancer, at the age of 48. From the moment she was diagnosed a little over two years ago, the path forward was a maze — conflicting opinions, unclear options, and too few answers, all while the clock was ticking. No family should have to navigate that alone.