Mudslide Disaster Home Repair

Telling this story feels absurd – it seems impossible that two life-altering events could happen in just the past two years. In June of 2015 I was diagnosed with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant to survive. I spent a year and a half in full-time treatment, including eight months as an inpatient. My parents’ jobs took a back seat so that they could spend time with me in the hospital and administer care at home.

Just a month after I finally returned to Stanford, a landslide destroyed our house. Because landslides are considered “acts of God,” they are not covered by homeowner’s insurance. The slide came from uphill properties which means there may be a way to recover damages from liability insurance, but this is expensive and uncertain. So, at this point there are two possible paths – a legal approach or walking away and losing all the equity in the house.

Two major disasters, one after the other, have been jarring and exhausting. We are glad that this one is “just stuff,” but our home is a huge thing to lose – especially after making so many sacrifices to get me through my cancer treatment. Our family had planned for emergencies, but how can you possibly plan for two in a row? Thank you so much for considering helping my parents.

 
Sincerely,

Brooke Vittimberga

Stanford Class of 2017(ish)

Edit: GoFundMe wants more info about me, so here goes:
1. Who you are: Brooke Vittimberga
2. Where you're from: Orinda, CA
3. Your relationship to the parties you're raising funds for: Daughter of Homeowners, Lisa Zobrist & Paul Vittimberga
4. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible): funds with pay legal fees (estimated 50K) associated with possibly fixing the house and cost of living while we can't live in the home. 
5. How you intend to get the funds to those in need: Funds wll be directed straight to my parents' bank account so they can pay the costs associated with this disaster.