Stories

At 92, Bonnie has seen a lot in her lifetime, but nothing like the fire that took her Boulder County home on December 30, 2021. Bonnie is the oldest known survivor of the Marshall Fire. And survivor is the perfect word to describe her. But it hasn’t been easy.

In 2018, David was in a car accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury. Even long after he was mostly physically recovered, David struggled to stay focused and get back into the classroom. These new and unique mental challenges led to the loss of his teaching job. “I lost my confidence,” David told us.

In 2019, Robert was working a steady job in Florida while caring for his aging mother, his 16 year old daughter, and his younger brother with special needs. Robert’s mother had relatives in Colorado that were going through a tough time and his mother wanted the family to move to be closer to them. Robert thought these family members would help them until they got situated, but the very same night they arrived in Colorado, Robert was told they couldn’t stay and they were forced to go elsewhere. While staying with a friend temporarily, his mother had a bad fall tripping over their dog and seriously injured her shoulder. Robert was forced to find a better situation for his family and all he could find on such short notice was a small hotel room.

Rhianna is a single mother of three children, one of whom is disabled. After being married for ten years, and shortly after learning of their son’s diagnoses, Rhianna’s husband abandoned the family. She did her best to provide for her children and build a life for them on her own. They moved into a low-income apartment and between working as a Door Dash driver and child support payments she was able to just make ends meet while also working toward a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice—until the payments suddenly stopped with no warning and COVID made it nearly impossible to work or attend school while also watching her children full-time. In June of 2020, the family was unfairly evicted from their home and spent the next 5 months living in a tent on the street.