Help Mini Minerva (Gabe) Recover from Fire

We are collecting money to help our dear sister and friend Mini Minerva. She was the victim of a horrible fire and has suffered significant damage, both to her home and physically. The cost of cleaning up and repairing the damaged items are so overwhelming she doesn't know where to start. While the physical scars will disappear the emotional and financial scars is heartbreaking. Please help this amazing person!! Over the years she has given to many fundraisers and events, lets help her any way we can. Money raised here will go directly to helping Mini hire a professional fire clean up crew, replace items lost (not an air fryer), establish renters insurance and any remaining funds to pay bills.

Please see her story of events below. Pasted from Facebook post.

I was released out of the hospital Wed 7/28, apparently while I was sleeping my air fryer malfunctioned and caught fire on top of my stove. Because I'm usually medicated with my night time neuropathy pills and wear ear plugs to sleep during the day, I didn't hear my fire alarm going off at 11am Monday.

At the last second and I woke up and stumbled confused into the kitchen. From what I think, because I don't remember much, I put on my oven gloves, grabbed the air fryer and threw it into the oven and closed the door. The oven gloves caught fire, I now have burns on my hands. I then tried to make it to the front door but was so overwhelmed with smoke I passed out in my entryway. Luckily, a neighbor hearing my fire alarm going off for a while, called the Fire Department. The SFFD, came into the building, broke down six doors and found me behind my locked front door, on the ground, unresponsive.

They rushed me to, St. Francis Burn Unit, where they treated me for smoke inhalation and burns. Luckily for me, the neighbor calling the SFFD saved my life. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for that angel. I am in shock, I can't stop crying and I'm completely embarrassed. I truly think I should not be here, that it was my time and I wasn't saved.

There is smoke damage that is covering everything in my home. The social worker at, St. Francis, tried to get in contact with, American Red Cross, which can help out in situations like this, up to $500, but I don't qualify because my home didn't "burn" down.

I called for a quote for fire restoration cleanup, because I don't have renters insurance, and their quote was $6,000.00. I cant afford that! I am a local bar tender at, Aunt Charlies, and thats my sole income. I was able to return to my home. The smell is unbearable and everything smells like smoke. There's black soot covering everything, I'm just in shock!

Many of my friends have passed away this past year, I know they are watching over me. I shouldn't be here, I should have died from carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. The doctors kept telling me this wasn't my time and not to think like that, but its hard.

I have a lot of work to do on my apartment due to the smoke and water damage. All my clothes, curtains and furniture have to be cleaned. Im devastated I'm going to have to throw out my angel wings and my rugs because they're completely saturated in black soot.

I'm just shocked that I'm here, I don't know what neighbor called the fire department, I put a thank you note on my door, I hope they see it.

There's a lot of work to do to clean up my home. Any suggestions, positive vibes, referrals for getting renters insurance please let me know.

If had renters insurance it would have covered the broken window from the fireman, the fire damage and the six doors that the fireman had broken into. I need to get me on a renters insurance and start cleaning up little by little.

I'm very tired and my mind is confusing and racing 12 steps ahead when I should be thinking one step at a time. All the windows are open- my apartment smells terrible, I might end up staying over at Ron's for a while. My neighbor was kind enough to send me some pictures in the hospital. My little home #302 is the one where I spray painted my apartment number onto the mat so nobody would steal it, lol.

Update-a lot of things have happened in the past couple of weeks. My social security was denied again for peripheral neuropathy, so during the whole trial process the social security administration wants me to pay back $12,000.00 UGH. Then this whole thing happened with the fire and I told this to my Ron at the hospital, "I really think that it was my time to go, I don't know why I'm here, I don't know my purpose anymore."

Yes, I'm lucky to be alive and I have my Ron and all your support. But these 47 years I've been through too much. This whole COVID crap with people not wanting to get vaccinated and I'm at risk after getting vaccinated from catching COVID again. I just don't understand why it is I'm still here?! The doctor told me not to think this way but I do believe my time to leave this Earth was Monday afternoon rather than waking up and coming home to this hell that I'm in right now.

Anyway, Im bagging my clothes, bedsheets and curtains that I need cleaned. Ron helped clean a little yesterday-if anybody has any suggestions on a reliable house cleaner that can help me clean ( it's all soot damage) I'm just sitting here breathing the air is not really helping my mental state right now. I've told friends that I've never wanted to start a GoFundMe or ask for help.

When we were kids my father got us burial insurance so if I did pass away it would be all taken care of, it's just this survivor's guilt that I I can't stop thinking about. I'm not going to beg or ask anyone to help me with a GoFundMe, but after talking with my psychiatrist today he suggested this is possibly the best way to go.