Oscar's Fire Recovery Fundraiser

Hello, my name is Bernard and I'm here to help one of my closest friends, Oscar, in a time of need. Just before midnight on Friday, July 28, lightning struck Oscar's apartment building, the Ardens of Oakbrook. The bolt of lightning struck the fourth floor, less than 100 feet from where he and I were sitting in his living room at the time. We saw a fire breakout in less than 30 seconds.

We both jumped into action, calling 911 immediately. We then started banging on apartment doors in the middle of the night trying to wake people up. The next ten minutes were a race against time, trying to wake up the dozens of tenants on the upper-most floor who were in the most immediate danger as smoke began to fill the hallways. He, his brother, roommate, and I were all able to get out safely.

The following morning, as the news broke, the severity of the damage came to light. Miraculously, nobody was harmed. However, the fire had caused catastrophic damage to the building's roof, engulfing Oscar's unit in flames. Oscar's apartment remains inaccessible, and may not be safe to enter in the future. My closest friend, someone who I consider a brother, has lost everything. He was left with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Oscar is an incredibly kind and caring person, a true friend to me and many others. I ask you to please consider helping him however you can. Thank you in advance for your help. I will be responsible for making sure that Oscar receives your donations and knows how much we all care about him.

Bernard Misiak