Melanie & Paul Hurricane Ian Relief

Our hearts are broken as we write this emotional plea to you. You would think that I, someone who has made a career in fundraising, could easily ask you for your help, but when the story is about Paul and me—this is the most challenging request I have ever made. It has taken every ounce of me not to ask you for your help, but at this point, I can’t figure out any other way.

We thought we could handle almost anything. We worked hard and planned for what we thought was the worst of times, but this one hit differently. Hurricane Ian has taken so much from us; writing our emotions for the world to see is devastating, but we need your help.

We are very grateful to be alive; as many of you know, we live on Sanibel and did not evacuate the island before the storm. I hid in the pantry wearing my life jacket while Paul held the impact glass doors closed with his two hands for hours as the wind howled and whistled—and shook the entire house. He repeated, “Save the roof, save the windows, save the doors, save the house, save our lives,” hundreds of times. I can still hear him chanting this awful and urgent request. We watched the ceiling bend; water was leaking in; I still don’t know how we made it out so lucky. It breaks my heart to know that others were not as fortunate as we were. Coming outside the next day was as if we lived through a war. Sanibel felt broken. We had no communication with the outside world, and no one knew If we were dead or alive. We didn’t know if our loved ones survived on the mainland; we knew nothing. We walked up and down our street, wading through knee-deep water like lost souls…

Paul and I lost much more than our cars to the storm. Our home has significant damage, and while we have insurance, we also have high deductibles. Our wind and flood insurance deductibles are keeping me up at night. I know we are fortunate to have insurance, but we must first pay these out-of-pocket expenses before we receive any relief.

We always dreamed of living in Sanibel, although it didn’t come easy for either one of us. We both work harder now than we ever have in our lives. We have faced more obstacles and challenges over the last two years than we can recall. We still don’t have a definite date of when we will have potable water and electricity, so we are currently staying in Fort Lauderdale, taking it day by day.

Besides working in insurance, Paul owns a promotional company that has greatly supplemented our income. 90% of his clients are Sanibel businesses. While we have loved providing them with promo items over the years, we have realized that his company will also take a direct hit from this storm. Without any new orders, we are looking at an estimated 90% shortfall in revenue over at least the following year, which is something we could have never prepared well enough for. We ask humbly and tearfully as we have suffered an unimaginable loss and don’t know what else to do.

Thank you for listening to us, praying for us, and crying with us, and if you can please spare any amount, large or small, to help us during this devastating time in our lives, we will be forever grateful and never forget. Your support will help us pay for these deductibles, our mortgage, and other basic needs.

We will rebuild. We are survivors. We will grow stronger from this tragic event.

Love,

Melanie and Paul ❤️