Help Altadena residents Lauren & Nathan start anew

Hi. We are close friends of Lauren and Nathan who are stepping up to ask help on their behalf. If you know them, they are two people who do not ever center anything on themselves and are thoughtful to the core. They listen to their friends more than they speak. They are solution-oriented people who work brilliantly together as a couple. We have seen the effects of the Eaton fire weigh heavily on them. We hosted them beginning the night the emergency was declared. All they brought was a change of clothes and their wedding album. We listened to the winds howl outside together. We watched them anxiously listen for news about their home for hours, without any sleep. We've seen the effects of sleep deprivation affect their psyche. We know they wouldn't ask for help publicly and have convinced them to do this over the past few days. Our heart breaks for them. Which is how this fundraiser, the first any of us have ever been involved with personally, came to be.

As of January 19th, 2025, they haven't been allowed back and are relying on reports from other locals and the fire departments. The house is standing, but all of their posessions will not be salvageable. The amount of smoke, ash, and other pollutants in that area filled the house for days, permanently damaging everything. This particular exclusion zone, on Lake and New York, was simply too unsafe for occasional visits.

Lauren and Nathan’s love for Altadena is clear to anyone who knows them. It features constantly in what they’ve shared with us over the years. We’ve learned about its history and all the special places there.

Their wedding was catered with sandwiches by Roma, which is just down Lake Ave. from them. After living there a decade, having their ability to return home suddenly taken away is shattering.

-Pauline Woo and Harsh Patel

Lauren and Nathan wish to thank Pauline Woo and the Woo family for giving them somewhere to stay as they take stock. They wish to thank the Fire Department, all first responders, the city services, their community in Altadena, and everyone who checked in on them.