For more than 30 years, my mother-in-law Heidi has been lucky enough to call Kīlauea, Kauaʻi home.

Over those three decades, she has poured an extraordinary amount of love and work into this land she has stewarded. She built the dwellings, planted the trees and gardens, and slowly created the place that our own family is fortunate to live on today.

Last night, Hurricane Lowell changed that landscape in a matter of hours.

Powerful winds brought down trees and nearby power lines and caused extensive damage throughout the property, destroying and damaging multiple structures and leaving an enormous amount of debris behind.

Areas that Heidi spent decades building and nurturing have been badly affected, and the scale of the cleanup ahead of us is overwhelming.

For Heidi, this isn't simply damage to a property. This is more than 30 years of her life—something she built with her own hands, tree by tree and piece by piece.

Since the storm passed, we have been outside clearing fallen trees, branches and debris. As we continue clearing, we are discovering more damage underneath.

What we can already see will take weeks, and likely months, to repair.

Unfortunately, she does not have the financial means to take on repairs of this magnitude alone. Our family is doing what we can to help, but we know the costs of tree removal, cleanup, materials, repairs and rebuilding will quickly reach into the thousands.

That's why we're asking for help.

Every dollar raised through this GoFundMe will go toward helping Heidi recover from the hurricane and restore her property. Funds will help cover debris and fallen-tree removal, repairs to damaged structures, rebuilding where structures cannot be repaired, replacement materials and equipment, and the many unexpected costs we are continuing to uncover.

We are still in the earliest stages of cleanup, so we don't yet know the full extent of the damage. We will continue sharing photographs and updates as we work our way through the property and have a clearer understanding of what rebuilding will involve.

If you are able to contribute, no amount is too small. And if donating isn't possible, simply sharing Heidi's story and this fundraiser would mean so much to our family.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out, offered a hand, checked on us, donated, or shared this fundraiser. We are incredibly grateful to be surrounded by the kind of community that makes Kauaʻi so special.

We will continue to offer our help to those around us in need over the coming weeks / months as well, as our whole island heals together from this destruction.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your kindness, support, and generosity during this time.

With love and gratitude,

Phoenix & family