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House fire... childhood home gone

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I could never imagine that my grandpa, who'd survived WWII in Ukraine, would so tragically pass away -- in a fire, that burnt his home and the home where my father grew up and I spent all childhood summers... my grandpa turned to ashes... along with all our family memories... decades-decades worth... Amazingly, some photos got locked in a melted laquer drawer, thus survived...  With it, they were my letters to grandpa, photos which I myself don't have anymore... how much he loved us... how neatly he kept them all together... they smell of fire... My childhood home gone, my grandpa and all possessions gone with it... We made a choice to rebuild, and our young relative who'd just recently had a baby will once again fill our home with laughter and joy.  We need to rebuild everything, the floors, walls, all rooms, the kitchen, the bathroom... in Ukraine, it's a tough ordeal.  We could have given the remains of my grandpa's home to the city... but we crave those walls to welcome us there again one day.  Every turn we make costs money.  We have to raise the floors, start from scratch... to bring my grandpa's home back so that our young relative can move in and start a life there with his family -- a bitter-sweet decision for all of us -- but the memories are strong, and family must survive under all circumstances.  We need at least $3,000 to cover all the basic materials/rebuilding.  However, if you can help and we can bring it to $5,000, we can recreate a home, and I can once again go visit it and remember grandpa... and rejoice in memories yet grieve so deeply.  At the funeral, beautiful violin played... I couldn't stop the tears.  I could never imagine my yoga grandpa face the end like this -- in a fire... the newspapers spoke of murder for money... to burn my grandpa alive, and the home all in flames... it's unimaginable.  But it did happen.  And I flew to Ukraine to walk on the ashes... My childhood memories up in smoke were deep in my mind.  Please help us.  Even a few dollars from each of you will help.  Every time I heard of fire, and people dying in a fire, I always cried for the victims.  I could never imagine my grandpa would fall victim to fire in such a horrific manner.  We need the funds as soon as possible, so my family can rebuild.  Each time that my relative isn't there now (as the remodelling is static as we await the funds)... we still have to pay for the utilities, and in Ukraine, it's very tough to go through this.  I believe we made the right decision not to give the home to the city.  Please help us rebuild...  I will be humbled by your generocity and human touch to affect a change that will make a difference in Ukraine... where some make $36/$50/$100/$400 a month, and the prices over exceed ours.  People miss out on meals.  My family is missing out a bit more because they are spending little by little to move forward with the remodelling...  As I'm writing this, I have the photos which I brought with me.  That's all that pretty much survived... It's heartbreaking to have lived through this, but it's unimaginable what it was like for my grandpa in his final minutes... We can only look forward to the future and hope for your input and help so my relatives can make a new step, rebuild and live and make memories in the walls of my childhood...  Thank you so much.  I'm forever grateful for your help...
Yelena
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Donations 

  • Kit Goldman
    • $50 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Yelena Makarczyk
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA

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