Devastated by fire, mother needs help to rebuild

Wednesday, August 15, is a day that will be forever etched in the memory of Stacy-Ann Dixon. It was the day her world was turned upside down when fire destroyed her three-bedroom board house in George’s Plain, Westmoreland.

Dixon, who lives with her two daughters, one of whom is pregnant, as well as a one-year-old grandson, is now seeking help to put her life back together.

Three beds, a dresser, fridge, stove, television – well, everything she owned – went up in flames, leaving her wondering how she will ever be able to replace them.

However, in the midst of the devastation, Dixon is giving God thanks for her friend, Stacy-Ann Mullings, who has given her temporary shelter and has been mobilising help for her on social media.

Mullings, who has an old one-bedroom house, has allowed the family to stay there, while she seeks additional help for them.

“Right now we desperately need a bathroom, an extra room, being that my daughter is pregnant ... and a kitchen would be nice,” Dixon shared with The Gleaner, as she said the one-bedroom shelter lacks those basic amenities.

Need bathroom

“I’ve managed, through my friends, to complete a second room for them and have got them a bed. However, they desperately need a small bathroom, and it would be great if she gets it before the baby arrives,” Mullings pleaded on behalf of her friend.

Dixon, who for the most part seemed too distraught to speak, allowed her friend to plead her case.

Commenting on the fire, Mullings said although it wasn’t her house that was destroyed, it affects her just as if it were. It is the reason she is working so hard to secure help for the family.

“I watched her (Dixon) stare into nothingness for days, without food and always in tears. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing, but offered my hugs because I’m a hugger. This went on for about two weeks,” Mullings said, adding that reality eventually set in and she jumped into action by turning to social media for whatever help she could generate.

With the help she got from friends on Facebook, she bought lumber and begged discounts, so the family could at least have some sort of shelter over their heads for Christmas.

“She has to visit my house whenever she and her family need to use the restroom. She also has to borrow simple things from me that persons take for granted, such as pots and pans, wash pan, and so on,” Mullings shared.

Dixon, who managed to utter a few words, said it was just too hard to think about her situation, where she has moved from a state of having whatever she needed to now having nothing. It tears her up, and although she is thanking God for small mercies, she wonders about the harsh hand that she has been dealt.

“Right now I am reaching out, pleading for assistance ... maybe to get the chance to start a small business that will help me to rebuild. I also thank my friend for standing up for me and holding my hand through this,” she said.

As for Mullings, she is urging those in Jamaica and in the diaspora to assist the hard-working mother as, she said, the family is a decent one that is really in need of the help.

If you want to assist, contact (876) 459-1112 or (876) 520-2225.