In case you don't know us, I'm Nazilla and I am a single mom to an amazing daughter. We are one of the lucky-unlucky fire survivors who have a standing home surrounded by complete devastation from the fire in all directions around us.

Update: The Eaton Fire and the stress to our lives broke me this past year, and literally broke my heart. I ended up in the ER at the end of November thinking I was having a heart attack but hopeful it was simply a panic attack. I was eventually diagnosed with Takotsuba Syndrome (aka acute stress-induced cardiomyopathy).

In the months after the fire, I eventually paid for testing of our home and its contents (not covered by insurance) and it revealed the highly toxic ash particles had made almost everything we owned toxic. All our beutiful items such as the dollhouse I had built for my daughter, furniture, clothing, toys, books, and electronics were disposed of as toxic waste. As a renter our insurance limit doesn't even cover the cost it would be to remediate the few items such as glass, porcelain, and metal items. These items are in storage until I can pay for proper remediation. All total loss items are a clear financial loss not covered by insurance due to our extemly low policy limit. Our ALE ran out at the end of April, yet the home is being taken down to the studs for at least the next year and a half, if we can even think of returning to Altadena. As a single mom, I am doing my best to stay strong for my daughter, but the weight of starting over is overwhelming. We currently have no long-term home to call our own, and not enough financial means to replace the essential and sentimental items we lost. Rebuilding from nothing while trying to provide stability for my daughter feels impossible without help.