Hi, my name is Jen (Lissa's sister), and I am fundraising for Lissa...

 

As some of you may have recently learned, Lissa had to be pulled out of her house early Wednesday morning as her home was on fire. Physically she is unharmed, but it has been quite an emotional experience. The fire was believed to be electrical as it took three separate visits from the fire department to get it out entirely. Walls and ceilings had to be opened in both Lissa’s upstairs unit and the lower unit (the girl living downstairs is physically okay too). With that said, there is a lot of damage from the fire, smoke, soot and old insulation that was ripped out of the walls.

I was on the phone with Lissa when the fire department allowed her to go back in to find her purse and keys. It was so hard listening to someone you love find out that almost everything they own has been destroyed. With fear and sadness in her voice, all she could say was, “Jenny, it’s a mess. I can’t find anything. My stuff is ruined.” As my heart broke for her, all I could do was remind her that she was safe and that “stuff” can be replaced. Since the fire, Lissa has moved in with my parents until she can figure out what to do next. To add insult to injury, when Lissa went back to her home to see if she could salvage any of her belongings, her car broke down and had to be towed. The police officer even recognized her from the fire earlier that week and said, “wow, you are not having a good week.” Lissa and my dad have since been able to get back into her home. They are hopeful that they will be able to clean up some of the kitchen items and other hard-surfaced items towards the back of the house. Her furniture, mattresses and other items closer to the front of the house where the fire was will have to be replaced.

I know that Lissa is a good friend and loved by many of you, as many have asked how you can help. My parents are currently helping her further assess the damage and clean what is able. Lissa finally allowed me to start this GoFundMe as a small way to let others help her. The money will be used to clean items that might be able to be saved, replace items that were lost and fix her car so she can continue to get to work so she can find somewhere new to live.

While we can’t take away the emotional distress this has caused, we can lift Lissa up, show her how much we love and care about her and help her get her back on her feet.

Also, Skippy's Burger Bar is hosting a fundraiser for her this Sunday, January 30th, if you would prefer to donate through them.