My name is Carl Michaud, Jr. and I currently live in Montreal, Quebec with my wife, Gamiliah Michaud, and our six kids.
On Friday, Nov 17th a five-alarm fire in Manhattan destroyed the 6th floor apartment where my wife's parents, Hemsley and Lola Johnson, had been living for the past 36th years. My mother-in-law was at work when the blaze began and my father-in-law, along with the rest of the tenants in the building, managed to escape safely with no injuries.
However my in-laws, who had lived in the apartment for 36 years, lost their home and literally lost everything that they own.
Many people have been asking how they can help so we setup this gofundme page in hope that it can help the Johnson family rebuild their lives after this devastating loss. They plan to use the proceeds to help fund their search for a new apartment, to purchase clothes and furniture, to help pay for the increased cost of rent, to fund the costs of replacing all of the paperwork they have lost (passports, birth certificates, etc) and to help offset many of the unforseen costs that have arisen now that they are starting over.
We want to thank everyone for all of their heartfelt concern for our family and for their donations.
UPDATE: Hemsley and Lola's Johnson story was featured in several news articles.
http://people.com/human-interest/bride-lost-fire-dream-wedding-lola-johnson/
https://nypost.com/2017/12/17/devastating-fire-cant-stop-pair-from-renewing-vows/
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/nyc-couple-walks-aisle-losing-home-massive-blaze-article-1.3704169