06/14/2026
💔 Zoe and her family have been regulars within our store for years. Countless conversations about the years Halloween’s theme to just what’s going on with Charleston Animal Society. This family is a huge part of the community and well loved. If you’re a local and listened to the radio in the morning over the last 20 years then you’ve heard Kay on the radio along with the countless trips Zoe would accompany her on growing up. A fixture along side her parents and an incredibly talented artist with an amazing soul to match who had so much ahead of her. To hear of Zoe’s passing is absolutely devastating, a young soul taken so early but gave so much while she was here and an impression that will be talked about for years to come. Charleston is beautiful community and one that will rally behind this family.. if this reaches your timeline, whether you know this family or not they’re something incredibly special. If you never got the chance to meet Zoe there’s someone around who has a story of how amazing she is because she is one whose legacy will live on for many years to come. RIP sweet girl 🥺🫶🏼
6/14 Update: Here is the link to help support the family at this time.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/honor-the-life-of-zoe-hyman-jpbxn
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Please don’t trail off, as I’m about to make a big ask on behalf of a local family.
For whatever reason, some lives are just hard from the start. This sweet fairy girl entered the world three months premature to join her parents 25 years ago. Her start was in the NICU – and every year, she and her mom returned to the MUSC unit to say thank you, bearing comfort items for staff and others who were gifted with preemie babies.
Zoe was a three-way mix of her mom’s kindness and compassion, her dad’s artistic talent, and her authentic self. A masterful special effects artist, Zoe shared her talent for the make-up arts and dreamed of working in S/Fx. (She also painstakingly handcrafted my all-time favorite Santa beard for our holiday fundraiser one year, keeping Jack in the chair for about two hours while she worked her magic.) Her artistic talent wasn’t limited to S/Fx – she created stuffed monster toys, along with beautiful pencil drawings and paintings, and shared her custom artwork among patrons and friends. She participated in local art walks with her father. And she was also recently putting her creativity to use as a skilled tattoo artist. She was finding her way and her path.
And then life happened and about a week ago, Zoe became very ill out of the blue. She was admitted to MUSC, where she had surgery that was unsuccessful, leaving her in critical condition. Yesterday morning, I got the update that she was gone and my heart broke for her parents, her extended family and friends. She was only 25 years old.
Zoe’s mom, Kay Hyman, is well known locally. Her heart is huge and her love for our community – its people, the animals - is endless. She has had her own health struggles in recent years and Zoe saw her through them. They were so connected, like there was an invisible cord holding them together. I ache for this loss for her especially.
Zoe was a fixture at the shelter for many years as a teenager. She came to community events to help and participated in some special shoots we had, like this one following a puppy mill bust. She was always kind and respectful, funny and agreeable. She was a good person, sweet and caring. She didn’t deserve this ending while her life was really just beginning.
So now the ask.
This is a devastating loss and I hope we, as a community, can come together to help Zoe’s family in whatever way possible, whether that’s donating $5 or $100 or whatever you can offer, to help offset medical and funeral expenses; or participating in a meal train to ensure her parents stay well; there will no doubt be other ways they may need our assistance too. Those closest to them, their shelter family in particular, will do most of the heavy lifting, but there will be gaps we can fill to help them through this unimaginable loss. Please watch for the opportunity to step in to help – I’ll post as soon as I have more info.
Until then, I ask you to hold her family close and wish them peace as they navigate this tragedy.
