On January 8, 2025, my friend, fellow mentor, and teammate, John Matsumoto lost his home in the Eaton Canyon Fire. John has been taking care of his wife since she injured her knee over the holiday, so they were not able to pack up much when they received notice to evacuate at 2 a.m.

John has been maneuvering through the devastation with a positive and grateful outlook.

In his words, “It is going to be a marathon ahead of us. Main heartache is that we couldn’t capture our two cats and had to leave them behind… All of the other ‘stuff’ is just that, stuff but filled with memories. My wife and I are both safe, but she broke her kneecap the Saturday after Christmas, so I was the only one that could grab things at 2 in the morning before getting out.”

He and his wife appreciate any help you can give, especially because he was not expecting a GoFundMe and I appreciate him letting me share his story on his behalf. John literally came back to work to be of service to the residents of Southern California and is continuing to be of service in his personal life as well.

If you could please donate whatever you can to help them get back to some sense of normalcy, it would be greatly appreciated. Please keep this family and all of the families impacted by this devastating fire in your hearts.

FYI: this page has been set up by Z. Lahouti, of Simi Valley, CA, John’s coworkers and friend. Funds will go directly to him.