Road to Recovery

My family and I have lost everything due to the fires in my hometown of Altadena. The Guyton household was a very welcoming space for many and the memories made there are priceless. Our home had been in our family for three generations since my grandparents bought our house in 1975; my father and his brother were raised there, and so was I. My grandmother was the leader of our family and passed away last year. My dad is a gunshot survivor who experienced extensive injuries, and my grandmother was essential support and care for him. Since her passing, my cousin and I have been trying our best to be there and hold ourselves to her amazing example. I personally am recovering from two surgeries from basketball injuries playing for Pasadena High, and all of my physical therapy equipment for me to recover is now gone as well. 

 My dad is a passionate gardener who grows so many fruits and vegetables in our garden - apples, citrus, herbs, pomegranates, greens, tomatoes, everything - that’s now destroyed. He recently purchased a very expensive juicer to pursue a juicing business that is now lost as well. Of course, I lost all my prized possessions, including my sneaker collection and the materials to start and launch my clothing brand. I feel grateful to be alive, but my heart hurts thinking of everything we built with love and care for generations that’s now gone forever. 

 And tragically, after going to the site of our burned-down house we discovered that we lost our dog who died protecting our house from the fire. Our dog was a part of our family and we can’t overstate how devastated we are that we lost him along with everything else.

 We are kindly asking to please help us with anything you can. I can’t say enough about how much I love my neighborhood. I ride my bike around Altadena every day; I owned many bicycles and scooters so that when friends came over we could ride around and enjoy our beautiful neighborhood too. I am dedicated to making sure that our family continues to stay in Altadena and rebuild our lives and our home. It has been unbelievably difficult since the fire and will be very challenging to make up for everything we’ve lost. Your help will make all the difference and I am so grateful for your support. 

(Backyard basketball was home to many from my childhood to my dad and uncle’s childhood hope to bring it back for many more thank you for hearing my story out❤️‍) and thank you to Hollis and America Reyes I been lose for words and they been a big help with helping me get my message out so much stilled not said ❤️