Support the Heath Family to Recover from Helene!

My friends Coy and Gina and their family (kids aged 2, 7 & 14) have been through a very intense and challenging time recently. It began with the little ones getting Covid in mid-September, which turned into pneumonia for their 7 year old who was rushed to the emergency room due to low oxygen levels was then hospitalized for 5 days.

While they were in the hospital, the waters started to rise in their neighborhood on the French Broad River during the storm preceding Helene. Coy left the hospital and moved their camper to high ground at the grocery store parking lot. The storm hit and all of the region, including the hospital, lost power, water, and communication (cell/wifi).

The family returned to their neighborhood of Rollins and town of Marshall to find both completely destroyed by Helene, homes and businesses washed completely away, others needing to be demolished after the fact, and the rest gutted.

Their property was destroyed, a third of it washed down the river. Now, the beautiful land where the children spent all day playing is covered in a couple inches of toxic dust. The family is in temporary housing while they figure out next steps and work on rebuilding with their neighbors and remediating the soil.

Their office in Marshall took 8 feet of water and sludge. Meanwhile, many of their clients have lost either home, workplace, or income, and many still lack wifi for remote sessions. They have had few work hours during this time.

Their two year old has since had a 10 day run of pneumonia and now Gina has it as well. The 7 year old now has pink eye. On top of everything, their camper is in the shop needing a $3,000 repair. To say they have had a rough go of it lately is putting it mildly. They desperately need a break and more importantly support from their friends, family, and community.

There are more financial questions than answers at this time such as: what will it cost to make the property livable again, how long will they be displaced (paying both mortgage and rent once the camper is repaired and they find somewhere to park it), how long will their work hours be drastically reduced, etc. It’s a time of incredible uncertainty for their family and community.

I hold a vision for them to return to some semblance of normalcy and for their kids to return to the same home land where they used to play. I’m asking all who are connected, concerned, and who love and care for this beautiful family to hold that same vision. Lets pool our resources and help them make this vision a reality. Please consider donating something today. Anything, big or small, helps.