Grayslake Fire Child Survivor Fund
Donation protected
August 22, 2017 was the start of profound changes in the lives of our grand-niece, who is a minor, and us. Our niece lived with her grandmother and older brother in Grayslake, IL. In the early morning hours of the 22nd she woke to a smoke filled house. What followed was the loss of everything in her life.
The fire consumed the house. While she and her grandmother managed to escape the burning home, her older brother was trapped in the fire and suffered burns and extensive damage to his respiratory system. He was taken to the burn unit at Loyola Medical Center and placed on a ventilator as he could not breathe on his own. Our niece also suffered some minor injuries and was treated at the hospital.
During the time that our niece and nephew were at the hospital her grandmother passed away unexpectedly, followed shortly after by her brother passing, leaving her alone. On top of these traumatic events, we all feared that she was going to be placed in the care of the state instead of being able to stay with family members.
Fortunately, we were able to obtain emergency custody of our niece, however this is just the start of a tedious and costly process that we will need to complete in hopes that she can stay with us permanently. We are a retired couple and are already amazed at the rapidly rising costs of this tragedy. Court required document fees costing hundreds of dollars, providing necessities for our niece as everything she owned was destroyed in the fire, counseling costs, travel expenses, and the retention of a lawyer are adding up quickly. There are still many more expenses to come as we try to take care of what is needed to ultimately allow us to provide for our niece.
Family members suggested Go Fund Me and helped us to set this up. Any donations received will go towards necessities for our niece, as well as helping us get through the ever growing legal fees to keep her home with us and allow us to heal and move on. Any funds over our request will be saved and used for our niece as a schooling fund so that she can pursue a career in nursing or another career if she changes her mind.
We truly appreciate you reading our Go Fund Me story. If you are able to donate we would like to thank you with all of our hearts for your kindness.
Best wishes to you.
UPDATE 09/24/2017: We have decided to reduce the campaign goal to $15,000 due the generosity of others outside of this Go Fund Me. We thank all who continue to donate to or share this Go Fund Me, as well as those who have helped outside of our campaign.
The fire consumed the house. While she and her grandmother managed to escape the burning home, her older brother was trapped in the fire and suffered burns and extensive damage to his respiratory system. He was taken to the burn unit at Loyola Medical Center and placed on a ventilator as he could not breathe on his own. Our niece also suffered some minor injuries and was treated at the hospital.
During the time that our niece and nephew were at the hospital her grandmother passed away unexpectedly, followed shortly after by her brother passing, leaving her alone. On top of these traumatic events, we all feared that she was going to be placed in the care of the state instead of being able to stay with family members.
Fortunately, we were able to obtain emergency custody of our niece, however this is just the start of a tedious and costly process that we will need to complete in hopes that she can stay with us permanently. We are a retired couple and are already amazed at the rapidly rising costs of this tragedy. Court required document fees costing hundreds of dollars, providing necessities for our niece as everything she owned was destroyed in the fire, counseling costs, travel expenses, and the retention of a lawyer are adding up quickly. There are still many more expenses to come as we try to take care of what is needed to ultimately allow us to provide for our niece.
Family members suggested Go Fund Me and helped us to set this up. Any donations received will go towards necessities for our niece, as well as helping us get through the ever growing legal fees to keep her home with us and allow us to heal and move on. Any funds over our request will be saved and used for our niece as a schooling fund so that she can pursue a career in nursing or another career if she changes her mind.
We truly appreciate you reading our Go Fund Me story. If you are able to donate we would like to thank you with all of our hearts for your kindness.
Best wishes to you.
UPDATE 09/24/2017: We have decided to reduce the campaign goal to $15,000 due the generosity of others outside of this Go Fund Me. We thank all who continue to donate to or share this Go Fund Me, as well as those who have helped outside of our campaign.
Organizer
James Hamm
Organizer
Zion, IL