Help Rebuild Sophia’s Life After Fire Tragedy!

Thank you all for reaching out with your prayers and support for our family. It has been suggested by many of you that we start a GoFundMe for our daughter, Sophia.

Sophie is a third year student at the University of Iowa and this was her first time living alone (with her cat King Julian). We are so proud of Sophia. She has been excelling in all of her classes, she landed a great part-time job, and is thriving in Iowa as she figures out this whole “adulting” thing.

April 9th is now a day our family will never forget. Instead of going to the library as she typically does, Sophie decided to rest at home before her intramural soccer practice. As she was laying down she heard her neighbors yelling, because no smoke alarms were going off she assumed it was nothing to be concerned about. When she sat down again she looked out the window and noticed the thick flames consuming her porch and realized the situation was dire.

Thinking fast, Sophie grabbed JuJu, her car key, and ran out of her apartment as fast as she could. She was not even able to put shoes on, grab her laptop, wallet, or any of the things she had set aside to grab “in case of emergency.” Out of habit she attempted to go down her usual exit before realizing that it was engulfed in flames. Running the opposite way to get out she stopped to knock on her neighbors doors, alerting them of the fire. Sophie was the last person out of the building and stood outside, barefoot, with Juju as she watched her first apartment burn.

As a parent, the feeling of watching your daughter sob uncontrollably knowing you won’t be able to get to her quickly is indescribable. It was a call I will never forget. Sophie had some wonderful friends take her home with them for the night and she was able to have a hot meal and a shower. We are so grateful for them.

Today, we are still in shock and trying to figure out where we go from here. We are overwhelmed with the road ahead of us. She has lost everything. She is now without a laptop, a wardrobe, makeup, bathroom essentials, important documents, etc. Sophie was in the midst of preparing for her upcoming finals and has now been tasked with trying to figure out how to navigate this entire journey ahead.

The Red Cross is providing some assistance to those affected by the fire. We are fortunate to have had renter’s insurance but it is currently unknown how much they will be willing to replace. Anyone who has ever had to deal with insurance adjusters knows that it is a very long and tedious process. Not to mention, they will likely be unable to cover the complete loss.

In the meantime, we have to help her rebuild her life and her spirits. Any amount of donation will help. People have offered furniture, clothes, etc. The current issue is that we have nowhere to put things right now, as she is homeless.

Please do not feel pressured to donate. Your prayers are the biggest need at the moment. But any little bit will help. We are praising God that both Sophie and her cat made it out safely, not all the tenants present can say the same. It truly is a miracle that she was home and that she was able to get out and alert her neighbors. God was protecting her yesterday and we are so grateful for that.

Thank you all again for your love and support. Please remember that every day is a gift and that your life could change in the blink of an eye. Hug the people around you and tell them you love them. Life is precious.