Requesting Help: Salvaging A New Life

Hello,

I'm reaching out for help... I'm not sure what to write at this point except it has been without a doubt the worst month of my entire life. My year began on January 2nd when I woke in the middle of the night to a full house fire and had to escape from the third-floor roof, landing directly on my back onto concrete in the final jump. Luckily (it's hard to write luckily now, but at least extra time was given) all of my family members escaped or were eventually rescued and are on the road to a full recovery. It still resulted in my Nana on a breathing tube with talks of a tracheotomy and my dog in an oxygen chamber having been transported to the veterinary hospital by myself before I even had my back checked. My father had carbon monoxide poisoning, however, he was treated for that and released the same day. The cause of the fire is still unknown. When I eventually had the time, I was checked out due to still having back pain and it seems to "just" be some nerve damage; I was very lucky.

My father and I checked into a pet-friendly hotel nearby, thankfully, since our adoptive family dog Beyoncé was ready to come "home" by around a week post-fire (with a regime of medications). We began preparations for house cleanout as we met with someone from insurance who ruled it a total loss, and were met with someone breaking in to loot anything still valuable or functional in the house -- even destroying personal items that were originally salvageable in the process. Both of those events, though, now seem like mere speedbumps compared to the tsunami that hit me next.

On January 21st, my father -- who has at most times felt more like a brother -- passed away from currently unknown but likely unrelated causes. I last heard from him around two in the morning that Saturday when he came into my hotel room for something. We had separate hotel rooms at his request. I texted him as I usually would when I woke up to shoot him my plans for the morning and began texting over prospective plans about what I thought we could be getting done next on the house. We had called and began to set up a storage unit the day prior. I hadn't heard from him by uncharacteristically late times and began to worry something was seriously wrong by mid-day. I finally relented, knowing if he was "just sleeping in" and I had jumped the gun then he would have been extremely annoyed; I had tried to wait it out, around 5 pm or so I requested to do a welfare check.

His door was still latched from the inside and I needed assistance -- by the time I got into the room my father had been long-passed, likely between the hours of 3-to-8am. The day or so prior my Nana was released from Lehigh Valley Burn Unit and, thankfully before she and my aunt made the trip to Ohio to be with the rest of my family, we had all met up and took the picture shown on the cover of this fundraiser. I will cherish that day in memory.

The situation is now this -- In the same month I lost my house, what wasn't lost in the fire was looted or destroyed in the process, and lost my father who was by far the closest of my relatives and always the most involved in my life from childhood. I remember him having to get up at 4 am to make sure our 1994 Geo Tracker would start that day to get me to Elementary School, and riding two bikes over to the school at pickup time because I wanted to ride my bike home but essentially wasn't mature enough (or good enough at riding a bike on my own at that point) to take it there and back myself -- It's just a quick snapshot of who he was as a person. I wasn't directly on our renter's insurance policy and aren't entitled to the same immediate access to assistance as my father was, having been listed on the policy, and essentially now have to cross my fingers every time I need something that they'll work with me directly having lived in the house, paid plenty of bills, and as the manager of my Dad's estate. Luckily, they've been great so far in helping with anything I have asked like working with me to still set up a storage unit. I still have to clear a three-floor house and basement on my own along with inventorying all the items in the house for insurance -- even though at the end of the day I'm technically entitled to nothing and rely on the reassurances of others right now.

On that note, meanwhile, I am in a scramble to find my own apartment ASAP because I have no direct assurances from my insurance on how long they'll keep me in the hotel. I originally would have had until February 7th when my father was here, it seems that I've some leeway with time, but no promises were made and I'm not considering it a given. I work every day through DoorDash, but haven't had as much time to fit in to work as I would normally with the house cleanout (I haven't even been given time to grieve) and I have decided -- at the encouragement of others -- to make a separate GoFundMe here for myself toward starting fresh and allowing a little bit of breathing room -- and perhaps time for actual bereavement regarding my father.

Anything donated -- and I request that if you helped with the one my father and I began mostly for Beyoncé's (re: our dog) potential medical costs you feel absolutely NO guilt or obligation regarding donating. You already have helped and I wouldn't ask again. -- will go directly into an account that I will be using to secure living arrangements in the coming week(s) and potentially for furnishing as well since I don't know when (or technically if) any funds would be coming in from our previous insurance policy to help me. I despise reaching out for help, and I apologize profusely. But I don't know what to do and given the push from others to make the page along with requests from people who ask how they're able to help, I decided to make this campaign.

If you cannot donate or already have, hearing stories and messages in a positive light about my Dad has helped keep up my spirits. That would be a nice alternative as well -- if you're unable to financially and looking to help. I appreciate any donation large or small toward helping me secure my immediate future and be able to find a place to live. It has been an indescribably hard month. If there are any additional funds left over after I secure a place to stay and a bed of my own to sleep in, I will be putting the remaining towards a proper urn for my father and as funds for an eventual celebration of life. I haven't -- and won't -- forget about anyone who helped me or us in the past ❤️. I thank you again for reading this and for considering a potential donation... The support given so far has meant the world to me as is .

-Bernie