Quick edit:

Folks have asked about the cause of the fire. It is still unknown. Meanwhile, I'll add a photo of King Goji, who deserves every possible treat, to the ones I've already posted.

I'm Brad Richard and I'm raising funds on behalf of my dear friends Andy Young and Khaled Hegazzi and their family. At 4:30 A.M. on February 5, 2026, the family dog, Goji, woke up Khaled. Thinking the dog just wanted to go out, Khaled got up and quickly realized that the house was on fire. He, Andy, their son, Simsim, and Goji escaped through the back door and into the streets. The fire was devastating: two fire department crews came, but the house was utterly destroyed, and neighboring properties also sustained damage. The family was incredibly fortunate to escape unscathed. The only item they had time to grab on their way out was Andy's phone, which they used to call 911. Everything else (except for Andy's writing studio in the backyard) is gone.

Andy is a poet and teacher, and Khaled is a writer and a businessman with a shop in the French Quarter. Simsim is a musician and a junior in high school; his sister, Tiba, is a student at LSU.

At this point, the family is just trying to regroup after this awful event. I'm setting this up so that they will not have to worry about having cash on hand while they fully assess their material losses and deal with their insurance company.

I know many of you who are reading this know and love this family as much as I do. Whatever help you can offer will mean the world to them right now, as will any messages you want to leave here.

On behalf of Andy, Khaled, Tiba, and Simsim--thank you. And on everyone's behalf: thank you, dear Goji, thank you so much.