Jennel Martell

This past Friday, our home burnt to the ground in just eight minutes. We lost everything—our house, our vehicles, two Harley Davidsons, our beautiful motorhome, and all the things that made our family feel safe and together. None of it was insured because these past few years have been a real struggle. My husband suffered a widow maker heart attack and four strokes and was coded for 41 minutes before spending 18 days in a coma in critical care at St. Vincent, where they saved his life. We came home and had to learn everything again, and that was not even two months ago. Now, we have lost our home. The fire department did a fabulous job, but it took almost 20 minutes to get water to the fire trucks because there were no fire hydrants within 1,000 feet. They had to link five fire trucks together just to get water on our home. We stood there crying, devastated and heartbroken, watching everything we owned burn to the ground. All our clothes, furniture, and memories—everything is a total loss. We are a family of nine, with two dogs and a cat. We have always been the first to help anyone in need, and we never ask for help ourselves. But right now, we truly need all the help we can get. This will be our first Christmas with nothing—no presents, no tree, and no home to go back to. The Red Cross has helped us with a hotel, but that support runs out tomorrow. We are willing to do any type of barter, as we own an Auto Body/Custom Shop, and we are grateful for any donation or assistance anyone can offer. We have nowhere else to turn. If you can find it in your heart to help, it would mean the world to us. Thank you for reading our story and for any support you can give.