I am Cindy Trutt, and I am raising money for my daughter, Alison Trutt. On Tuesday, January 21, Alison's apartment complex had a large fire, and her apartment was destroyed. She is staying with me for now and will have another apartment available in a couple of weeks.

Alison has stage 3 uterine and ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed last July and had a total hysterectomy and tumor removal in August. She had a 4-inch tumor on her left ovary and a 7-inch tumor on her right ovary, as well as very advanced uterine cancer. She has been doing chemotherapy for the last few months. It has made her weak, and in November she got COVID. The COVID left her with a lingering respiratory infection that she has been struggling to kick. She was at the emergency room being treated for this when the fire broke out. By the time she got home, the flames were going up the entire three floors of the apartment building, and the smoke was overwhelming.

Alison has two cats, and the fire department would not allow her to even get close enough to call for them. Fortunately, the next day a brave friend went into the building and found her cats hiding under the bed, still alive! We took them to the vet, who is treating them for smoke inhalation.

Unfortunately, pretty much everything in her apartment was destroyed by the smoke and water. She has been trying to salvage what she can, but so far that amounts to just a few sentimental trinkets.

She lost all her food, clothes, furniture, and all the little things that make up a household. She needs to replace everything, and hopefully before her next chemotherapy treatment, which is currently scheduled for February 4th, but she may try to delay it for a week or two.

UPDATE:

Alison has been able to get into the burned out apartment, and was able to salvage some pots and pans, her silverware, and most of her clothing. (She is washing all the clothes in small batches, and letting each batch soak for a few hours with a cup of baking soda per batch.)

The cats are doing great. No sign of residual physical harm, but they do still smell a little bit like smoke. They still seem a little traumatized. When Alison brings in a load of smokey clothes to wash, the cats kind of freak out.

Alison is still waiting for her new apartment to be ready. She is postponing her chemo until she is able to get settled in, but her doctor says it will be fine.

I cannot even begin to tell you all how much your support means to both of us. Not just financially, which was desperately needed, but also psychologically. Friends, relatives, casual acquaintances, even strangers have offered support.

THANK YOU ALL!!!!

Cindy