My name is Melissa Hillis, and on January 18th, my life changed forever. My home was completely destroyed in a fire caused by a heater that was given to me by someone who no longer lives on my property. The loss was devastating—not only did I lose my home and everything I had worked for, but I also lost my two beloved dogs, Bandit, who had been with me for ten years, and Luna, who I had for a year. The pain of losing them is something I can never put into words.

This tragedy comes on top of already grieving the loss of my boyfriend, Bob Adams, who was hit and killed almost two years ago. The last couple of years have been incredibly hard, but I have been doing my best to keep going. I’ve been cleaning up my property and even managed to have a trailer brought in so I can start rebuilding. Now, my biggest challenge is getting my power restored so I can live on my property again. St. Vincent DePaul has kindly offered to help with part of the cost, but I still need support to cover the rest.

I have put so much into my place over the last two years, and now I have to start all over again. I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this, but I am determined to rebuild and move forward. Any help you can give would mean the world to me as I try to get back on my feet. Thank you for your time and support.