Give Hope to the Hetényi Family after the Palisades Fire
Donation protected
On Tuesday, January 7th, my elderly parents and brother lost an ancestral home and everything that they own in the Palisades Fire.
I am their daughter/sister currently living abroad in Hungary and one of the only ways I can truly support them at this time is to fundraise to help them find their footing during this devastating time.
My brother, Steven, 56, who cares for my parents, was about to start a new job as a security guard and the facilities also burned down.
The home that was lost originally belonged to my great aunt, who heroically escaped Hungary and came to the US to settle with the love of her life. She was very much a grandmother to me.
My father, Charles Hetenyi, now 89 years old, escaped Hungary on foot during the 1956 revolution, eventually finding his way to the US with very little to start a life here. He recently completed chemo and has been contending with cancer for the last year, and, in remission, was making plans for how to enjoy these days before the fire.
My mother, Maria Hetenyi, 79, is the bright light of my family, caring for all and making sure everyone is nourished. She brought my brother to the US after meeting my father here on a trip to visit my great-aunt, and they later married.
My family has been living in this ancestral home, in the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Park for the last 25 years, which has been the place where I have so many childhood memories.
Now, as elders with serious health issues and limited resources, they are faced with relocation and starting over.
While many consider these areas to be affluent, there were actually a lot of disabled, elderly people living in rent-controlled mobile homes on welfare and social security... some there for generations.
People who are traditionally underserved and overlooked in America, and affluent areas.
These are not people who can easily rebuild or have resources for temporary housing or address immediate needs.
The housing prices are really high, and will now become more competitive than ever.
My family does not have the strength or resources to rebuild, so I am raising funds to help them relocate to a place that is safe, affordable, and easier for them to manage.
The funds will be allocated to:
- Temporary housing for all three of them for at least a month, unless more funds make longer possible.
- The life-saving medicines they need (asthma, diabetes, heart medication).
- Clothing (they only took a day of clothes and underwear).
- Food and toiletry expenses.
- Funds to help them move and establish a new home base out of state.
It is with all my heart I express the deepest, most sincere gratitude for your donation. Anything helps and we will keep you updated.
Any amount of donation towards supporting them would be deeply appreciated.
You will also see below, in this video, the absolute destruction of the mobile park where they lived.
The footage of their address, 16321 Pacific Coast Highway, starts at 17:20 as a walkthrough of where they lived....
With much love and appreciation,
Dr. Mia Hetenyi
Organizer
Mia Hetenyi
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA