Over the last few weeks, my family has been hit with one devastating loss after another, and I’m asking for help because I simply cannot carry all of this alone anymore. When the Highway 82 fire threatened our area, I packed my van with the most important things I owned so I could evacuate quickly if needed. By the grace of God, I did not lose my home — but my daughter, her husband, and their four children lost theirs in the fire. The groceries and supplies I had packed in my van were meant to help them after they lost everything. Not long after the evacuation, my van broke down on the side of Highway 82 and 99. While it was there, someone broke into it and stole many of the things I had tried so hard to save from the fire. Among the stolen items were irreplaceable family heirlooms, my children’s photographs, hard drives filled with family memories, important personal documents, my computer, and treasured keepsakes from my parents — including the last Christmas gift my mother ever gave me and hand carvings made by my father, who is no longer physically able to create them. The hardest loss of all was the photographs of my mother, especially because this week is the anniversary of her passing. Many of those photos were the only copies that existed, and now they are gone forever. To make matters worse, the damage from the break-in was so severe that my van is now being totaled. On top of all of this, I lost time at work because of the fires and then became seriously ill, causing me to miss even more income during an already overwhelming time.

I am asking for help to cover transportation by replacing my car, to help my daughter replace her car, and to provide a down payment on a new home for her family. Funds will also help us replace essential documents and provide basic necessities as we recover from these losses. Any support, prayers, or even sharing this fundraiser would mean more than I can put into words. Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for helping my family through one of the hardest seasons of our lives.