HESPERIA: Sandi Taylor and The Brasen Fire Fund is seeking donations on behalf of her 71-year-old Beverly Brasen mother and husband Richard, whose home was recently burned down several weeks ago. Donations includes money, clothing and furniture lost in the fire, among other things for Sandi’s stepfather Richard, who’s disabled and needs an electric wheelchair with brakes.
“It’s just very difficult” she said. “Some of his burns are healing, but some may need skin grafts.” Though “not doing well”, at age 73, Richard has been called “a miracle patient”. Despite losing his DVDs, tapes, CDs, TV, and so forth, the one thing that was not taken from him was his “dress blues”. You know the saying: “Once a Marine, always a Marine”.
According to Sandi, the fire was put out in 20 minutes by the fire department, who said that Richard’s hospital bed wasn’t plugged, and is speculating that wiring may have played a part in causing the fire, but the investigation is still pending. Beverly and Richard are currently living in the next house rented by the same landlord, where the stuff saved from the fire has been put in a pod/storage room. However, after three months, the rent for both houses will go up, which doesn’t make sense at all.
“They’re caught between a rock and hard place” Sandi states, whose also said that this is also “a very devastating year” not only financially but personally as well for her family. For instance, the death of her nephew in February of this year two days before he turned 21.
Daytime veteran and 30-Day Heartbreak Cure author Catherine Hickland offered her support by posting The Brasen Fire Fund on her Facebook page, and the response has been positive. But there have been two things that overshadow the willingness to donate: the endless media coverage surrounding the death of Michael Jackson and our reluctance to aid due to the Great Recession, where jobs are hard to come by; we have our problems of our own such as paying the mortgage and the bills — not to mention providing for ourselves and our families, and believing we don’t have enough money to give to help those in need.
“Every little thing means the world to them; five dollars is like a million dollars. Every little bit counts” Sandi comments.
If you’d like to know more and how to donate, go to the website at www.brasenfirefund.webs.com.
