Hello, my name is Brandi. I'm 47 and I have custody of my 3 grandchildren: Nate, who's 9, Kason, who is 10, and Kamdan, who is 8. On May 4th, our house caught fire due to electrical arcing. I've had custody of Nate for 8 years and Kason and Kamdan for 4 years. I've always worked and took care of everything, but as of 3 years ago, the doctors made me stop working because I was diagnosed with DDD, which is Degenerative Disk Disease, a deterioration of disks in my back and joints. I was also diagnosed with Advanced Emphysema due to the type of work I did, which is construction. I tore out old moldy wood, etc., from homes, which has caused my lungs to be destroyed.

We lost absolutely everything due to the fire and water damage from putting out the fire, and as of now, we are homeless. I was usually able to save money, but being made not to work, I have no savings, no put-back money, and only receive $1600.00 a month. Kason and Kamdan's mom passed away 2 years ago in July due to a heat stroke, so I've literally been living off of the $1600.00 a month. I was able to budget so that we could at least have a home and bare necessities. Now, since the fire, I honestly don't know what to do. As I said, we are homeless. The Red Cross helped with enough to get a motel room for a couple of nights. I'm at a complete loss as to what to do because I've never been through anything like this.

My goal is just to raise enough money to get us into a home or camper home, something so we can at least have a roof over our heads and be able to afford to replace some stuff that was lost. The kids lost everything, I lost everything, and nothing is salvageable because of the water damage and fire. I've never been one to ask for help because I've always tried my best to do what's necessary to make ends meet. Looking at my babies depending on me to provide a home, clothes, shoes, toys, etc., I'm just not able to, so I'm reaching out in hopes that maybe someone would help me to help us. I'm not looking for a handout, but I'm desperately asking for a hand up. I believe God will always provide and protect, as He did when He woke me up at 2:30 am to the smell of smoke in the house and helped us get out in time.

I can promise that any proceeds from this horrible tragedy will go directly to getting us a home and maybe some things we may need. My babies get good grades in school, and I raise them with morals and respect and the knowledge that God will provide and to help others in times of need. They are my true heroes, and they will never know how much I needed them more than they ever needed me. I'm doing my best to stay strong and pray so they see me chin up. I'm really trying to make the best of the worst situation I personally have ever been through, so if you can find it in your hearts to help with anything, I know God will bless you also. Anything at all would be a blessing as we are having to start completely over with nothing. We lived at our home for 5 years, and now in the blink of an eye, it's all gone. All the little memories that I kept, like my children's hospital bracelets, ultrasound pictures, things they made me, my grandbabies' ultrasound pictures, and all the little keepsakes, are all gone. No amount of money could ever replace what we lost, but my only hope is to raise enough money to get us in a new home and maybe some stuff for the house we may need. Again, anything helps at this point as I don't have anything to start with at all. I have enough for maybe 2 more nights at the motel and to feed them. I have had some people donate some clothes and shoes, etc., for the children as they are my main concern, but getting them somewhere to call home means so much more to me, and that is my main goal and really my only hope. Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read, pray, and help . You will never know how much it all means ❤️