Help Sarah and Sean Rebuild After Fire
Donation protected
Three weeks ago Sean and Sarah's family home was destroyed by fire. In an attempt to put it out, Sean received burns to over 20% of his body. Thankfully he is healing and on his way to a full recovery (thank you Harborview Burn Unit). The structure of their home is still intact, but there isn't an inch left untouched by the flames, smoke, and soot. Moving forward, they are looking at a complete demo and renovation. Homeowners Insurance will help with this, but not in entirety. Let's show them some Vashon love and help them rebuild their lives from this tragedy. I set a goal of $5,000 for this fundraiser, but they need much more than that. I hope that you'll join me in contributing if you can or share this Gofundme so that others who know them may be able to help. Thank you!
From Sarah:
Some of you may be already aware of this but we had a house fire. As hard as it is, it feels important to share this with you. Why?
1. Because my automatic response is isolation. Hide away, suffer alone. Don't let people see your weakness or vulnerability. Be strong. Put on a brave face
2. Writing it out is therapeutic and an important part of my healing process
3. YOU are part of my community, so I want to include you in on the lows as well as the highs
4. We ALL suffer in some form or another, it's part of our humanity and our oneness
I was out of the country with two of my children when it happened. Our third daughter lives nearby. My husband Sean was outside in the evening when he noticed the orange glow in the windows and ran inside to discover the blaze. He called 911 and then grabbed the garden hose and was able to crawl back into the house and drown the flames before the fire department even arrived. He suffered some pretty serious burns but thankfully he is healing well and will be okay. The woodstove had ignited some flammable materials left too close and the fire had been burning long enough to permeate throughout the house not leaving a single surface untouched by its black soot, toxic smoke, and ash. There was some major damage to the main living area as well as the entire ceiling. My home is in complete ruins. A lot has been lost...including photos, clothing, beds, music equipment, all appliances, furniture and much much more.
It is unclear at this time what the path forward will be in terms of remodeling and rebuild. It's a day-by-day situation. As I write this there is a company boxing up the salvageable contents and entirely emptying out the house.
We are incredibly grateful for Sean's safety and also to have a guesthouse on the property which is our home base for the time being.
Our homes are sacred and special to us. They give us comfort and solace from the craziness of the outside world. This place had very deep sentimental meaning because our family of 5 (Sean, Sarah, Indica, Rosemary & Jahmiah) poured our own blood, sweat and tears into its manifestation.
A bit of back story for context:
For 18 solid years we moved around, renting crappy cabins and moldy houses one after the other before we finally found our place to plant some roots on Vashon Island, WA. The owner said she was looking for just the right family to sell it to and didn't even have it listed for the public. The house was in pretty rough shape when we found it. It was dark, dingy, covered in smoke-stained wallpaper and shag carpets...but we fell in love with the tranquility and land of 5 acres covered in old-growth madrone, fir, huckleberries, ferns, and cedar. Along with an orchard, delicious well water, and sunny, open space for a huge garden. We knew it would take quite a bit of hard work to fix up the house, but we were more than willing to do whatever it would take to have a home we could officially call our own.
We completely gutted the entire house leaving only the bare bones and a fresh canvas. We dove in and completely transformed the place!
We removed walls and put in big new windows to let in more light. Every single piece of Siberian Birch wood flooring was selected and laid by our hands. We painted every single wall with colors each of us carefully chose and blended. The countertops, cupboards, and kitchen island were designed and installed by us. Every single closet, shelf, and piece of wood trim was handcrafted from old-growth and reclaimed lumber by Sean. We even went to Sears picked out the stainless-steel appliances. And boy did we feel grown up shopping for appliances. Lol!!
We worked as a family and as a team to create the space that we were so proud and grateful to call home. I know that we appreciated so deeply what we had because of what it took us to get there.
We enjoyed living there for nearly 8 years and I gave thanks each and every morning for the incredible beauty and blessing of our home. We called it our sanctuary because it truly held you in a loving and peaceful embrace when you walked through the doors. Visitors would always comment on how homey and comfortable it felt.
It hurts. I am heartbroken. I know we will get through this painful chapter. We will pick up the pieces and move forward. I truly do believe that there is a blessing in everything - so there must be a blessing in this. I am doing my best to take it one step and one breath at a time. Tears are flowing like I've never experienced, and I am in a constant state of surrender getting from one moment to the next.
Please keep our family your thoughts and prayers, thank you.
From Sarah:
Some of you may be already aware of this but we had a house fire. As hard as it is, it feels important to share this with you. Why?
1. Because my automatic response is isolation. Hide away, suffer alone. Don't let people see your weakness or vulnerability. Be strong. Put on a brave face
2. Writing it out is therapeutic and an important part of my healing process
3. YOU are part of my community, so I want to include you in on the lows as well as the highs
4. We ALL suffer in some form or another, it's part of our humanity and our oneness
I was out of the country with two of my children when it happened. Our third daughter lives nearby. My husband Sean was outside in the evening when he noticed the orange glow in the windows and ran inside to discover the blaze. He called 911 and then grabbed the garden hose and was able to crawl back into the house and drown the flames before the fire department even arrived. He suffered some pretty serious burns but thankfully he is healing well and will be okay. The woodstove had ignited some flammable materials left too close and the fire had been burning long enough to permeate throughout the house not leaving a single surface untouched by its black soot, toxic smoke, and ash. There was some major damage to the main living area as well as the entire ceiling. My home is in complete ruins. A lot has been lost...including photos, clothing, beds, music equipment, all appliances, furniture and much much more.
It is unclear at this time what the path forward will be in terms of remodeling and rebuild. It's a day-by-day situation. As I write this there is a company boxing up the salvageable contents and entirely emptying out the house.
We are incredibly grateful for Sean's safety and also to have a guesthouse on the property which is our home base for the time being.
Our homes are sacred and special to us. They give us comfort and solace from the craziness of the outside world. This place had very deep sentimental meaning because our family of 5 (Sean, Sarah, Indica, Rosemary & Jahmiah) poured our own blood, sweat and tears into its manifestation.
A bit of back story for context:
For 18 solid years we moved around, renting crappy cabins and moldy houses one after the other before we finally found our place to plant some roots on Vashon Island, WA. The owner said she was looking for just the right family to sell it to and didn't even have it listed for the public. The house was in pretty rough shape when we found it. It was dark, dingy, covered in smoke-stained wallpaper and shag carpets...but we fell in love with the tranquility and land of 5 acres covered in old-growth madrone, fir, huckleberries, ferns, and cedar. Along with an orchard, delicious well water, and sunny, open space for a huge garden. We knew it would take quite a bit of hard work to fix up the house, but we were more than willing to do whatever it would take to have a home we could officially call our own.
We completely gutted the entire house leaving only the bare bones and a fresh canvas. We dove in and completely transformed the place!
We removed walls and put in big new windows to let in more light. Every single piece of Siberian Birch wood flooring was selected and laid by our hands. We painted every single wall with colors each of us carefully chose and blended. The countertops, cupboards, and kitchen island were designed and installed by us. Every single closet, shelf, and piece of wood trim was handcrafted from old-growth and reclaimed lumber by Sean. We even went to Sears picked out the stainless-steel appliances. And boy did we feel grown up shopping for appliances. Lol!!
We worked as a family and as a team to create the space that we were so proud and grateful to call home. I know that we appreciated so deeply what we had because of what it took us to get there.
We enjoyed living there for nearly 8 years and I gave thanks each and every morning for the incredible beauty and blessing of our home. We called it our sanctuary because it truly held you in a loving and peaceful embrace when you walked through the doors. Visitors would always comment on how homey and comfortable it felt.
It hurts. I am heartbroken. I know we will get through this painful chapter. We will pick up the pieces and move forward. I truly do believe that there is a blessing in everything - so there must be a blessing in this. I am doing my best to take it one step and one breath at a time. Tears are flowing like I've never experienced, and I am in a constant state of surrender getting from one moment to the next.
Please keep our family your thoughts and prayers, thank you.
Fundraising team (3)
Allison Jones Shirk
Organiser
Vashon, WA
Sean Hoogen
Beneficiary
Rosemary Hoogen
Team member
Sarah Christine Furth
Team member
