Hi, my name is Cayden Anderson, and I’m a senior engineering major at LSU, focusing in cybersecurity. I never imagined I’d be writing something like this.

On the night of July 20th, 2025, at around 10:30 PM, my apartment caught on fire due to a mechanical failure in the HVAC system. I had stepped out briefly to go get dinner, and when I returned, the smoke alarms were going off and the air was thick with smoke. Firefighters later confirmed that the fire started in the attic right above my room.

By the time the flames were out, almost everything I owned was either burned, covered in soot, or soaked with water. What the fire didn’t destroy, the smoke and water did. Books, clothes, furniture, my computers — it was all ruined. It still doesn’t feel real.

I’m incredibly grateful to be alive — that’s what matters most. But the reality is, I now must start from scratch, and unfortunately, I didn’t have renters’ insurance a mistake I’m now wiser from. I never thought something like this could happen to me.

I’m reaching out with humility and hope. If you’re able to contribute anything at all, even a small amount, it would mean the world to me as I try to rebuild my life and continue my final year of college.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support — whether it’s through a donation or simply by sharing this page.

With gratitude,

Cayden