On Sept. 3, my place caught fire while I was sleeping. I'm OK (except for a small burn on my hand and now flu symptoms, cough, and scratchy throat from smoke exposure).

The fire started in the bathroom vent. Apparently, it was a short circuit that caused an electrical fire.

The place where I've been living is now uninhabitable, so I'm looking for another place. This was so unexpected, of course, and I only had a few days to salvage and get my belongings out before the restoration crew goes in and throws everything away. Now, I'm looking for another apartment and will have to pay first and last month's rent plus deposit, so I'm crossing fingers for something affordable.

In the meantime, my friend Mary has kindly offered to let me stay in her accessory dwelling unit, just a few blocks from where I've been living.

Several people have encouraged me to start this GoFundMe page. Honestly, I'm really not comfortable asking for help. However, they're also saying that I need to accept assistance right now.

I'm counting my blessings, and I'm SO grateful for folks who are kindly helping me get through this.