Placencia Family Housefire Relief Fund

Hi, my name is Lindsey and I am a veterinarian desperately trying to help a family who has recently been devastated by irreplaceable loss.

On Tuesday, October 25th 2022, I received an emergency phone call during my shift at work. It was for a dog burned in a housefire. I was ready to see the patient and do my best to help her and the family (whom I'd never met) brought her in quickly after the call. Upon meeting Paloma, my heart sank. A young, sweet, scruffy dog who was sadly terribly burnt. She had burns covering her entire face and body, and both her eyes and tongue were severely burnt. In addition to this, her breathing was labored and harsh. Despite her severe pain, she never once tried to bite or act out. We administered pain medications and quickly took chest x-rays to see how severe her lung damage was. Unfortunately, the x-rays revealed bad smoke inhalation. We counseled the family on their options and ultimately agreed that letting Paloma go was the kindest thing to do with her. The grief was palpable and Juan (the father) and Javier (the son) disclosed to us that their other dog had been trapped in the fire and had passed away. Javier had tried his very best to save Paloma, running into the fire-laden house and scooping her up from under the bed (burning his arms in the process). Every employee in our clinic was in tears as we let Paloma go.

But the devastation did not end there. Not only had the Placencia's lost their two well-loved furry family members, they lost all their possesions. They kept their life savings in a box under the bed and their hard work quickly turned to ashes. All of their clothes, memorabilia, furniture, etc. were destroyed. They have been left homeless with a fast-approaching car payment and no possessions or money left to pay it. Currently, they are staying in a hotel paid for by a local church. Come Monday, they will stay with us until we can get them back on their feet and find them some more permanent housing. The amount we are hoping to raise is equivalent to that lost in the fire.

Thank you for reading this and taking this journey with us. We are humbled to be able to help, and we pray that we can get this family back to a more secure and stable place as they face uncertainty at this time.

Sincerely,

Lindsey