# Special ask, family lost everything



## begreen (Feb 5, 2022)

I have not been online for the past few days due to a family tragedy. My brother's North Carolina house caught fire and they barely escaped. My brother is in the Atlanta burn unit. He is in serious condition with burns on his face and hands and some in his lungs too. There is a possibility he had a heart attack due to the stress. We are standing by for more information. Right now they have him heavily sedated and are doing tests. My sister-in-law made it out faster and was treated overnight at the local hospital for smoke inhalation and some cuts she got while jumping out of a window. Her worse agony is that she heard her pets dying and could do nothing to save them. They have lost everything but the clothes they wore. 

I have never done this before, but to help them out I started a GoFundMe campaign. If you can help a little, that would be great. Please share and pass the word around. Starting over in your 70s is not easy. And thanks to all that can help out. 

https://gofund.me/e3e9ac3d


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## clancey (Feb 5, 2022)

Your family and you are in my prayers...thanks for the address of the go fund....clancey


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## bholler (Feb 5, 2022)

I will send something to go fund me but pm me what area they are in.  I have some friends and family in NC who would help if they can.


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## Dan Freeman (Feb 5, 2022)

My prayers and thoughts are with your brother and his family.


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## PaulOinMA (Feb 6, 2022)

bholler said:


> I will send something to go fund me but pm me what area they are in.  I have some friends and family in NC who would help if they can.



Newspaper link through the above states Clarendon.  It's west of Wilmington on the SC border.


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## PaulOinMA (Feb 6, 2022)

Your brother looks a lot like a friend I grew up with in Huntington and still get together with for breakfast.









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## peakbagger (Feb 6, 2022)

Sent one in


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## begreen (Feb 6, 2022)

peakbagger said:


> Sent one in


Thanks so much.


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## begreen (Feb 6, 2022)

PaulOinMA said:


> Your brother looks a lot like a friend I grew up with in Huntington and still get together with for breakfast.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's funny. He is pretty much the opposite work-wise. He has been a blue-collar worker all his life.


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## webfish (Feb 6, 2022)

So sorry to hear.


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## DuaeGuttae (Feb 6, 2022)

Thank you for letting us know, Begreen.  They are in our family’s prayers.  Do they have any idea what may have caused the fire?


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## semipro (Feb 6, 2022)

Having spent some time in a regional burn center myself this really got to me. 
I'd endure it all over again if it meant I could save my pets though.  
Them suffering without me being able to help is the stuff of nightmares. 
This is one of those infrequent occasions when I wish I was financially well off.


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## begreen (Feb 6, 2022)

DuaeGuttae said:


> Thank you for letting us know, Begreen.  They are in our family’s prayers.  Do they have any idea what may have caused the fire?


We're not sure yet. The damage is total and he is heavily sedated. My SIL was in another room.


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## Solarguy3500 (Feb 6, 2022)

Sorry to hear about this @begreen . Best wishes for your family in this difficult time.

I just made a donation. Only wish I could afford to do more.


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## vinny11950 (Feb 7, 2022)

Made a small donation. 

Hoping for the best for your brother and his family.


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## begreen (Feb 7, 2022)

Many thanks for all your good thoughts. My brother is having a rough time and the family really appreciates this outpouring of kindness.  They are telling us it's going to be touch and go for a few days more due to multiple complications. I spoke with my SIL today. She is doing ok considering their losses. She was knocked on the head by the ceiling fan as the roof was collapsing. Fortunately in their bedroom the ceiling didn't completely cave in. I found out that my brother received his burns when he went back into the house and tried to rescue her. He didn't know that she had kicked out the bedroom window to escape.  He too barely made it out, but in worse shape. They also lost a dog and two cats.  

Cherish life, it is fragile.


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## Dune (Feb 7, 2022)

Be Green; knee mail headed your way.
I happen to have a large warehouse full of used home good goods in North Carolina. 
You family is welcome to all that want when they look to settle again .


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## PaulOinMA (Feb 7, 2022)

Life if fragile.  SIL passed away last month,  57.   Healthy to end-stage home hospice in 6 months from unknown aggresive cancer.


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## bigealta (Feb 8, 2022)

Sorry to hear this. Hope your Brother gets better soon. Made a small go fund me donation.


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## Max W (Feb 8, 2022)

Man, it is so hard to feel helpless while seeing loved ones suffer. After reading of your brother’s love and courage I was glad to be able to send something.


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## begreen (Feb 8, 2022)

Dune said:


> Be Green; knee mail headed your way.
> I happen to have a large warehouse full of used home good goods in North Carolina.
> You family is welcome to all that want when they look to settle again .


Thanks for the generous offer. It may be months before they can consider rebuilding. We're told the recovery will be slow. The kindness of strangers brought my SIL to tears yesterday. She is so appreciative of all the support.


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## clancey (Feb 8, 2022)

It's such a terrible tragedy and they will be facing this for some time and I pray that your brother gets fully recovered and this will take time...what a trip--terrible--prayers for them every day..clancey


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## Dune (Feb 9, 2022)

Glad if I can held. 
There is also a large apartment available if they need emergency shelter.


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## begreen (Feb 12, 2022)

Thank you all again for your generous spirit. It means a lot. My brother is still in the ICU but his vitals are improving slowly. His O2 levels are coming back up. His eyes are opening, but no response yet. His wife will be arriving tomorrow now that the insurance adjuster has come and gone. They will be taking him off of sedatives now. We are hoping he will respond to her voice. She'll be staying with him for as long as it takes. Your generous contributions have allowed her to get clothes, a suitcase, and to pay for a nearby hotel and rental car during his recovery. 

We still don't know the exact cause of the fire, but the adjuster guessed that my brother was cleaning car parts and the cleaning fluid ignited, then spilled under the refrigerator where the extinguisher could not reach it.


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## all night moe (Feb 12, 2022)

Begreen, I am sorry to hear of this. When I was 9, my parents lost their house do to a grease fire on the kitchen stove. The flames quickly hit the old, very dry, pine cabinets on each side of the stove. Within a few minutes all the cabinets were burning. We lost everything but what we were wearing. Odd part is non off us thought off the garden hose just outside the back door. We had a 5 min window time of getting it under control. The human mind reacts so differently to high stress situations.

I'm currently financially in a bit of a slump. Slow work from being self employed, working outdoors, with these temps, has put me behind. As soon as I catch up with steady work, you have my solemn word, I will do my part.

I hope your brother continues to improve.


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## firefighterjake (Feb 15, 2022)

Most folks have no concept of how quickly a fire can progress from small flame to literally blowing out the window of a room. Sometimes when I teach a fire safety class I will ask folks what they would save if they had a fire in their home . . . some folks have quite the long list which would take them at least 10-20 minutes to remove from their home.


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## gzecc (Feb 15, 2022)

Your post convinced me to get a wifi smoke detector. Hope it works. Hope I never have to find out!


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## begreen (Feb 16, 2022)

firefighterjake said:


> Most folks have no concept of how quickly a fire can progress from small flame to literally blowing out the window of a room. Sometimes when I teach a fire safety class I will ask folks what they would save if they had a fire in their home . . . some folks have quite the long list which would take them at least 10-20 minutes to remove from their home.


Yes, my SIL said that several windows blew out.


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## begreen (Feb 16, 2022)

A short update:
My brother's condition is slowly improving. His blood oxygen levels are looking better now. They have taken him off of sedatives but he still has not regained consciousness. We hope it will be soon. His wife is now with him so he can hear a familiar voice and touch. Your good wishes and prayers are much appreciated.


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## DuaeGuttae (Feb 17, 2022)

Thank you for continued updates.  We will continue to keep him and your sister-in-law in our prayers.  I am glad that she is with him now.


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## begreen (Feb 19, 2022)

A lot has happened in the past few days. On Thursday my brother opened his eyes and acknowledge contact. With his vital signs improving they performed a tracheotomy the next day and moved the ventilator and oxygen to the trach. This will be more comfortable for him and allow him to swallow. ICU beds are needed and the hospital is full so yesterday they moved him to a different pulmonary critical care hospital where they will work on therapy and getting him off the ventilator. His burns are healing well and the good news is that he has no 3d degree burns, only 1st and 2nd degree which means he will not need skin grafts. Right now he is fighting pneumonia, but otherwise still responsive, though confused with the move. His wife and my sister will see him tomorrow and get a recovery plan from his caseworker and docs.


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## begreen (Feb 21, 2022)

My brother passed late this morning. Thank you for all the kind thoughts and well wishes. His complications were just too severre.


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## PaulOinMA (Feb 21, 2022)

My sincerest condolences.


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## stoveliker (Feb 21, 2022)

I am so sorry to hear this. My condolences.


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## vinny11950 (Feb 21, 2022)

My condolences.


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## DuaeGuttae (Feb 21, 2022)

Begreen, I am so sorry to hear this, especially after it seemed that he had been improving.  I’m sure that makes it all the more difficult.

We will continue to pray for you and your family as you grieve, especially for your sister-in-law as she now has to deal with even more emotional and logistical strain on top of losing her home and pets.  Again, my very sincere condolences to you and yours.


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## mcdougy (Feb 21, 2022)

Hoping your bright memories help carry you through these dark times. My condolences to you and your family.


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## bholler (Feb 21, 2022)

So sorry for your loss


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## qwee (Feb 21, 2022)

Sorry for you and your family's loss. Your brother sounded like a great guy. He put his own life on the line to save his wife.


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## tlc1976 (Feb 21, 2022)

So sorry to hear this. Was hoping he would continue to improve. Uncle Sam just returned some of my money this weekend so my donation is in.


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## all night moe (Feb 21, 2022)

Condolences to you and your family, begreen.
I am just starting to pick up with the work schedule. You can expect some help from my way soon.
I know it will be helpful.


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## ABMax24 (Feb 21, 2022)

Condolences to you and your family.


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## Tonty (Feb 21, 2022)

Condolences offered to you and the family. Like you said earlier, life is fragile, but we often take it for granted.


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## CincyBurner (Feb 21, 2022)

So very sorry to hear of the loss of your brother.  My prayers are with you and your family.


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## clancey (Feb 22, 2022)

So sad, so sorry clancey


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## Max W (Feb 22, 2022)

Even from the little I have read I can see that the world has lost a good one. Sorry for your and your family’s  loss.


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## bigealta (Feb 22, 2022)

So sorry to hear that. We are thinking of you.


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## woodgeek (Feb 22, 2022)

Very sorry to hear it BG.


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## firefighterjake (Feb 22, 2022)

Never met the guy, but right now I am feeling quite sad for you, your sister-in-law and the rest of the family and friends. Thinking of you all.


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## enordy (Feb 22, 2022)

So sorry for your loss BG, be as well as you can.


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## dznam (Feb 24, 2022)

A bit of help is incoming from Maine in the form of best thoughts for recovery and a GFM donation to our “distant neighbors”.


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## kennyp2339 (Feb 24, 2022)

@begreen I am so sorry to hear about your family and the passing of your brother. 
Please check the state laws in NC about insurance adjusters, and please do not let your SIL cash any checks from the company until all avenues are researched. 
I know in NJ you can hire what is called a public adjuster, this is a 3rd party private adjuster that works for you and not the major insurance company, the insurance company will take products, give them a value and then depreciate the value due to time, essentially paying pennies on the dollar for the insured item covered, the public adjuster will hold the large company accountable and will usually charge 5-7% of the total paid claim which will still be well ahead of what the original insurance company would have paid out.


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## thewoodlands (Feb 24, 2022)

begreen said:


> My brother passed late this morning. Thank you for all the kind thoughts and well wishes. His complications were just too severre.


Very sorry for the loss of your brother @begreen , we'll say a prayer for the family.


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## Mainely Saws (Feb 25, 2022)

I am so sorry for your family's loss Begreen. 
       Bob


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## PaulOinMA (Apr 5, 2022)

Just checking in.  How is your SIL doing?


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## begreen (Apr 6, 2022)

She is doing the best she can. Thanks for asking.  It's a lot to deal with and the reminders of the tragedy are always present. She has a mountain of things to deal with as she tries to rebuild a life. It's not easy at 70. Currently she is working on the sale of the property. I admire her strength. She is a fighter and forward-thinking. Having a place to stay with my sister has helped out a great deal. It may turn out to a more or less permanent arrangement.


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