Help Palisades Single Mom & Son Heal: Kim and Ben's Story

On January 7th, my world was turned upside down. While I was at work about 25 miles away, my 14-year-old son, Ben, he was at home in Pacific Palisades, safely asleep for the final week of his winter break from school. That all changed when a wildfire broke out dangerously close to our house. I started my day, but then received an alert on my phone about the fire and soon after, frantic calls and texts from the LAFD urging evacuation.

The next five hours felt like a nightmare. I tried desperately to reach Ben, but he wasn’t answering his phone. When he finally did, I told him to grab the pets and pack whatever he could. Despite my attempts to guide him, the flames were closing in so quickly, I couldn’t make it to him. I had to turn around just before the fire overtook my car. But I was lucky — I flagged down police officers who coordinated with another unit to rescue Ben and our four pets, bringing them safely to me.

Ben was terrified for those five hours and has experienced separation anxiety and sleeplessness since. Having to evacuate and attempt to pack himself, he had only the clothes on his back, no books, no holiday gifts he had just opened, no home necessities, no toiletries, and certainly no pet supplies. We had to leave everything behind. My heart aches knowing how traumatic this has been for him. Ben is an incredibly compassionate and kind soul who always looks out for others. The last thing he deserves after the challenges of growing up through the pandemic is this kind of hardship.

We’ve been part of the Palisades community for 11 years. It’s been a dream come true to live in such a peaceful and supportive oasis. I have worked so hard to be here and never took it for granted. We are an active part of the community and have always made it our mission to give back through charitable efforts and helping those in need. Now, we find ourselves in need.

Sadly, Ben’s school has also been destroyed, and they’re transitioning to online learning for the foreseeable future, which is far from ideal for his future. Ben needs a refuge to continue to grow and soar emotionally, socially, and educationally. He is currently a straight A student with lofty goals for his college career and beyond. Our rental home is still standing, but with the strong winds expected next week, we don’t know if it will survive.

Even if our condo survives this tragedy, we are not sure what will be salvaged.

To make matters worse, I was laid off earlier this year and had to undergo a major surgery to repair my fully ruptured hamstring tendons. My recovery has been long and painful. I am not able to do what I used to physically. I’ve recently secured a temporary job in recruiting however, it’s a significant pay cut and without benefits, PTO, etc., and the bills from both my period of unemployment and surgery are piling up.

We know so many have been affected and we are just one family out of thousands. We have a big ask and appreciate all your love and support. We are doing our best to stay strong, but it’s been incredibly difficult. Once we get back on our feet, we will make sure to pay this kindness forward.

Thank you so much for your support. We’re not giving up — but we need your help to keep moving forward.