Brian Brisebois (a first-year medical student at UMass), his pregnant wife, and their 3-year-old son had been living in an apartment in Fitchburg. On Sunday evening, Sept. 22, 2019, an explosion occurred in their building, rapidly followed by a 3-alarm fire. Luckily, Brian and his family made it out safely.
The only item Brian carried out was his laptop. He and his family lost virtually all of their belongings, including food, clothes, furniture, their personal effects, and electronics. Unfortunately, their cat is missing and may have perished in the fire. After the fire was extinguished, the building was condemned having been deemed structurally unsound due to the fire damage, so they might not be allowed to reenter their dwelling to see if any of their belongings survived the blaze. With help from the Red Cross, they have been at a hotel and looking for a new place to stay, but they will need to replace their belongings. To refurnish a new apartment, they will need home goods, such as beds, furniture, kitchen supplies, and clothes. And with his son and coming baby girl, they will also need a crib, infant care & feeding supplies, baby/children clothes, and toys.
My name is Michelle Chang, and I am part of the same medical school learning community as Brian – Blackstone House. We (the members of Blackstone House) are helping our fellow student by raising money for his family after they lost their home. While we are thankful that his family is safe, we are hoping to help defray some of the financial burden they are experiencing. Just a couple of weeks ago, Brian received his white coat. Unfortunately, he lost it in the fire along with all his new medical equipment. Brian worked hard to get into medical school as a non-traditional student, and already has loans piling up. There is a large financial burden of supporting a family, going through medical school, and now the unexpected expense of refurnishing a home.
Please donate some funds to support Brian and his family during this difficult time.
In addition, if you have any lightly used home goods, furniture, clothes, new baby supplies to donate, please reach out to me (under Contact Organizer), and I will help coordinate.
Only Brian's family will have access to these funds to help restart their life. To allow them the time and focus they need to care for their family until they're ready to withdraw, the funds will be safe in GoFundMe's system.
This is a video detailing the terrifying events of the fire:
The only item Brian carried out was his laptop. He and his family lost virtually all of their belongings, including food, clothes, furniture, their personal effects, and electronics. Unfortunately, their cat is missing and may have perished in the fire. After the fire was extinguished, the building was condemned having been deemed structurally unsound due to the fire damage, so they might not be allowed to reenter their dwelling to see if any of their belongings survived the blaze. With help from the Red Cross, they have been at a hotel and looking for a new place to stay, but they will need to replace their belongings. To refurnish a new apartment, they will need home goods, such as beds, furniture, kitchen supplies, and clothes. And with his son and coming baby girl, they will also need a crib, infant care & feeding supplies, baby/children clothes, and toys.
My name is Michelle Chang, and I am part of the same medical school learning community as Brian – Blackstone House. We (the members of Blackstone House) are helping our fellow student by raising money for his family after they lost their home. While we are thankful that his family is safe, we are hoping to help defray some of the financial burden they are experiencing. Just a couple of weeks ago, Brian received his white coat. Unfortunately, he lost it in the fire along with all his new medical equipment. Brian worked hard to get into medical school as a non-traditional student, and already has loans piling up. There is a large financial burden of supporting a family, going through medical school, and now the unexpected expense of refurnishing a home.
Please donate some funds to support Brian and his family during this difficult time.
In addition, if you have any lightly used home goods, furniture, clothes, new baby supplies to donate, please reach out to me (under Contact Organizer), and I will help coordinate.
Only Brian's family will have access to these funds to help restart their life. To allow them the time and focus they need to care for their family until they're ready to withdraw, the funds will be safe in GoFundMe's system.
This is a video detailing the terrifying events of the fire:
Organizer and beneficiary
Brian Brisebois
Beneficiary