When an unimaginable tragedy struck a family in Pennsylvania, one family member stumbled upon a way to grieve while honoring her sister and helping strangers on the internet.
Nikki Ayers lost her sister, Alexia Getz, 26, last month in a tragic motorcycle accident. Not knowing where the grieving process would take her, it seems an angel guided her to something that will not only help her family grieve with a little humor and comfort, but also keep Getz’s spirit alive in the process.
And thanks to a simple TikTok video telling their story, many other people across the country will also soon get some comfort during their grieving process.
And So T-Lex Was Born…
“When my mom asked if we had anything to store Alexia’s ashes in, an idea popped into my head,” Ayers exclusively told The Blast. “We made a stash jar that she saw on Pinterest that she thought was cute. We made it and it sat on my shelf with no purpose for a long time.”
And so the idea to put Getz’s ashes into the homemade stash jar in a dinosaur stuffed animal came to be and became a source of comfort for the family.
Ayers shared the story on TikTok and was quickly overwhelmed with the amount of attention it was getting. She started getting messages from all over the country asking if she could make one for their loved one’s ashes.
The video received more than 1.6 million views quickly and 13,000 comments. The idea resonated with so many people, something Ayers didn’t expect to happen.
“So you’re either gonna think this is hilarious or deranged, but everybody grieves in their own way. Maybe this will resonate with someone,” Ayers began her TikTok video. “So my beautiful, firecracker of a little sister was killed almost two weeks ago in a motorcycle accident.”
She then explained that the family had a crystal urn coming from the U.K., but until it arrives, they didn’t know where to put her ashes.
“Her and I had made this dinosaur stash jar a couple of years ago, and I forgot about it and it just lived in my basement,” she continued.
“So my mom asked what’s something that she would find hilarious in the meantime, so now she lives inside of this dinosaur and, her name was Alexia, so we call this T-Lex. And my mom finds comfort that she can carry her around with her and hug her and it’s kind of grown into a thing.”
Nearly 10,000 people added the video to their favorites and thousands of comments flooded in.
“Sounds like T-lex just helped you find a new business in her honor! ✌🏽💛” one person wrote.
Another added, “I absolutely love this idea… it definitely feels like a positive coping method….”
Many People Suggested A Business Opportunity To Help Others Grieving
With so many people leaving comments that they would love a stuffed animal urn to help them with their grieving process, Ayers couldn’t ignore her calling.
“I didn’t expect the TikTok video response,” Ayers told The Blast. “It immediately had a few thousand views and comments from people saying that they would love to have one. Then I started getting messages about it, so I posted follow up information, and it’s just kept on going.”
Many have suggested that Ayers should patent the idea and get this business rolling. With costs to patent and to gather all supplies necessary to start making this business thought a viable idea, Ayers started a GoFundMe page in the hopes that she can raise the money necessary to patent the idea.
“I posted a video on TikTok sharing what we had done, and to my surprise, it went viral. So many people could resonate with our situation and loved the idea of a cuddly urn,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“I was urged to make more and look into a patent for my idea. Unfortunately to do so, it would cost way more than we have to invest. Someone suggested making one of these to see if others wanted to help get this idea off the ground and protect my idea.”
Ayers is in the process of choosing a name for her company. She’s considering a few different options that represent her sister as well as the comforting product she’s creating. There’s also a website in the works so she can reach more people.
“I’m not a spiritual person, but it makes me wonder. Things are falling into place so easily,” she said. “I can’t help to think if someone is helping me on the other side.”
For anyone interested in more information, you can reach out to Ayers through a Facebook DM.
