Editor's note: If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting "988."
Perez Hilton's longtime friend has launched a fundraiser to help support the celebrity blogger's three children and their grandmother while he continues receiving residential mental health treatment after his hospitalization due to self-harm
in August.Tom D'Angora, who said he has been close friends with Hilton for 14 years, organized the GoFundMe campaign with support from Hilton's friends. The fundraiser has a $25,000 goal and had collected more than $2,100 from 56 donations as of Thursday, Sept. 17.
Hilton's mother, Teresita Lavandeira, has assumed full-time care of his children – Mario,
13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, 8 – while he focuses on his recovery, according to the campaign.
"Perez is currently receiving full-time residential treatment while he focuses on his mental health and recovery," the GoFundMe description reads. "This process will take time. In the meantime, his mother has stepped in to care for his children full-time and give them the stability and support they need."
D'Angora said Lavandeira has faced "significant and unexpected expenses" as she works to keep a sense of normalcy for the "three growing children.
"She's put much of her own life on hold to make sure the kids can continue going to school, participating in their normal activities, and having as much consistency as possible during an incredibly difficult time," D'Angora wrote. "All funds raised will benefit Perez's mother and children only and help cover the additional costs of caring for three kids full-time. None of the money will be used for Perez personally."
Hilton, whose legal name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., is currently receiving full-time residential treatment. His family said in a Sept. 14 recovery update that he was expected to remain in the program for at least several more weeks while his treatment team evaluates the next steps in his recovery.
The family said Hilton does not have access to his phone or computer so he can focus on getting better. They also confirmed that his mother had been granted temporary custody of the children, who were "together, safe, and doing well.
What happened to Perez Hilton?
Hilton, 48, was hospitalized Aug. 4 after authorities responded to multiple calls concerning an alarming TikTok livestream that appeared to show him engaging in acts of self-harm during a mental health crisis.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office previously told USA TODAY that Hilton was safely recovered and transported to a hospital for medical attention. His family later said he had been involuntarily admitted to a facility for a mental health evaluation.
Three days after the livestream, Lavandeira petitioned a Miami court for temporary custody of Hilton's children. Her attorney said the family's priority was protecting the children and giving them normalcy as they began to heal.
Hilton launched his celebrity gossip website in 2004 and became one of the internet's most recognizable entertainment bloggers. His provocative celebrity coverage throughout the 2000s and 2010s also generated years of controversy and several lawsuits.
Contributors: Anthony Robledo, Edward Segarra, Liza Esquibias, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Perez Hilton's friend launches GoFundMe for his children amid mental health treatment
