LAKEWOOD, Ohio — In the early morning hours of Christmas, a home in Lakewood went up in flames, and a family lost everything. But what started with something so terrible turned into a story about true holiday spirit.
In our worst moments, we can't always predict who will lift us up and neither could Craig Young. For Young, Christmas went from a day filled with joy to a home that was nothing but ash.
“Somewhere around three in the morning, my daughter came downstairs and woke me up yelling my name, and I got up, and she said, 'I think my room is on fire,'” said Young.
His daughter, Michaela Kocka, stayed on the top floor of the home they rented in Lakewood. When she told her dad about the fire, Young immediately went upstairs to put out the flames, but they were too strong. So, they had no choice but to grab their pets and get out of the house.
“I’m just glad we're all alive. She has second-degree burns on her right arm, and her hair got singed. I got first-degree burns,” said Young.
They also lost their 6-year-old bearded dragon to the smoke. The fire destroyed everything in their home, and now they have to find a new place to live, but the hardest loss to process is the irreplaceable memories of Michaela’s mom, who died three months ago.
“It's a lot, I can't imagine being a 16-year-old girl and losing everything. Your mom, every Christmas present you just opened,” Young continued. “She just inherited all her mom's belongings, they were all up there.”
Just when hope was nowhere to be found, his neighbors Nick and Jennifer Flasher from across the street brought some needed light. During the fire, they took in Craig, his daughter, and their pets, providing shoes and clothes.
When they learned about their situation, Jennifer posted on the Lakewood’s community Facebook page asking for donations.
“It was overwhelming. We had a lot of people drop off cat food, litter donations, gift cards and cash,” said Nick Flasher.
The Lakewood community didn't hesitate to help, even donating items for Young's cats and turtle.
“It's a rough road, but at least there's like some sort of pavement now that we can start walking towards our new life,” said Young.
Most of the cards either weren't signed or said anonymous, leaving Young shocked that so many he didn't even know would care enough to lift his family up during their hardest times.
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