Help Michael rebuild after his loss

Hi friends, I’m Melissa and I just started a GoFundMe for my brother, Michael and his girlfriend, Kelly, who just had a truly devastating weekend when a massive tree fell on their home.

There was a terrible windstorm/snowstorm here in Oregon with 45mph winds, and on Saturday morning while Michael and Kelly were making breakfast, a giant tree from the neighbor’s yard was totally uprooted and landed right across their home smashing the entire garage. The emergency arborists said the rootball weighs over 10,000lbs! The tree damaged gas lines, water pipes, and who knows what else… we’re uncovering more as the days go on.

We’re all keeping our heads up and continuing to remind one another that no one was injured and we’re grateful everyone in the home walked out safely! Luckily they have insurance on the home and are working on filing a claim for the items that were lost.

All that said, in the garage was Michael’s pride and joy… a green 1969 Mustang that he lovingly calls ‘The Hulk’. Our dad and Michael have worked on that car together, restoring every inch of it since he was 16 years old. The Hulk is more than a badass car, it’s 17 years of bonding, connection, learning, teamwork, love, and… memories.

Here’s what The Hulk looks like now after the arborists removed the tree from the home:

Since Michael moved to Beaverton, he hadn’t driven The Hulk and didn’t have it insured the last 7 months… so unfortunately, he won’t receive any financial aid nor will he be able to claim any losses against it.

The last couple of days have been absolutely devastating for him, but I’m hoping we can come together to bring some hope and joy to someone who has been through a lot… and support Michael in feeling like he has a strong community of loved ones who are here for him in times of need.

We can all be part of making new memories with Michael during his rebuilding journey!

I appreciate and love you all!

Thank you for taking the time to read this!