Help Heather and Harper Recover After the Fire

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Heather and Harper’s journey through the fire:

The morning of January 9th Heather had left her apartment and dropped her five-year-old daughter, Harper, off at preschool like she had done so many other mornings. Harper loved her friends and teachers, she felt safe there. Little did Heather know that their lives were about to change drastically.

Driving down PCH her phone began to blow up with notifications and requests to come back and pick up Harper as a fire had started and they needed to evacuate ASAP.

Frantically she turned around and attempted to make her way back to Harper in the Palisades. She struggled through PCH which by now was heavily congested, and then the unimaginable happened, the road up the hill was blocked with abandoned cars from people fleeing the fire. Terrified of losing her daughter, she drove through private roads and eventually had to park her car and try to walk in. The fierce love of a mother with a child in danger motivated her to push through when everyone around her was fleeing.

Eventually, she was notified that Harper and the rest of the students had been bussed out and evacuated to safety and a good friend informed her that they would retrieve Harper for her. Knowing her daughter was safe, she could turn her attention to her home and office. Unfortunately, she was not able to retrieve anything from her office as it was already on fire! She begged the police to allow her quickly get into her apartment where she was only able to grab some clothes for Harper and a few items of clothing for herself before she had to flee for her own life. The police had to escort her beside the burning high school to get her to safety. She said it felt like she was driving through Hell.

Heather is forever grateful for these first responders!

Thank God she and Harper are now both safe and staying with family, but EVERYTHING they had is gone, consumed by the flames!

For those that do not know Heather personally:

Heather has lived in the Palisades for the past 19 years and is a very talented interior designer who built her business from the ground up. She services many in the community in which she lives. Everything for her business was in the office or her home including her laptop. Her means of supporting herself and Harper are gone and she will need to start all over again. Heather is a single mom and doing her best to support herself and Harper. The two of them had just transitioned into a two-bedroom apartment and when we saw them at Christmas Harper was so excited about her new room and how it was decorated. She beamed with smiles as she described it.

How you can help:

First, please pray for them and everyone else affected by these horrible fires including the first responders. Keep praying through the coming days and months as they navigate these waters.

Second, consider donating any amount to help Heather and Harper back on their feet. They will recover, Heather is strong and has a good support system, but this is a lot for her to carry. We know that God will provide a way and through your love and support this path to recovery will be made easier.

About the poster:

Heather is my cousin-in-law I have known her for 34 years. Heather has always been so kind to me and always willing to help where there is a need. I have watched her these last 5 years as a single mom and marveled at her strength and resistance. She loves Harper dearly and is trying her best to shield her from the trauma of this situation.

I, along with many other family members, live in Simi Valley and the surrounding cities. All of the funds raised will go directly to Heather and Harper to help them get back on their feet: helping them with immediate needs such as clothing and other necessities, replacing her laptop for work, obtaining first and last month's rent once she can locate an apartment, etc.