Sadly, Janet passed away on 5/3/23.

Late on the night of Monday 3/20/23, Rick Clark and Janet Hagan were asleep in their living room when they were aroused by the smell of smoke. They were surrounded by flames but fled to the side door in an effort to escape. Amid the chaos however, they were unable to open the key-only deadbolt and shouted for help. Meanwhile, the neighbors had started mobilizing at the sight of billowing smoke and enlarging flames engulfing the front porch. Two neighbors approached the side door at the sound of the shouting and broke open the half-door window where Janet stretched to gasp fresh air. They pulled her up through the door window, but Rick was passed out below and out of reach. Another neighbor broke the door down, pulling him out. The two were rushed to MetroHealth medical center burn unit where they received top-rate critical care. Both suffered significant second- and third-degree arm, back, chest, and facial burns requiring frequent, painful dressing changes. Rick's burns were bad enough, but Janet's were so severe that even surgery wasn't an option. Their cat was unfortunately lost in the fire and the psychological trauma remains to be determined.

Janet's plight couldn't get much worse. Unable to fully recover from a stroke in 2020, she spent the last year battling throat cancer resulting in major surgery, a tracheostomy breathing tube and a likely permanent surgical feeding tube. The fire was the final overwhelming straw, so she opted for hospice and died peacefully in the hospital. Rick was discharged after several weeks and is slowly recovering.

For Rick and Janet, their limited resources had been already tapped to the breaking point. The fire has resulted in severe damage to their home likely beyond salvage and the total loss of a vehicle. Costs of recovery look ominous and are projected to easily exceed their homeowner's insurance settlement and already modest means. Funeral expenses just made that even worse. From the burdens of having to replace basic necessities, like furniture and clothes, to finding a new home after the hospitalization and dealing with monthly bills, Rick and Janet can use all the help they can get. Please consider donating to their cause. ~Sincerely, Tim and Joanna Clark