Donations for John Popp

[Mischief]

I wonder how many kitties from this site are wondering why they are being hugged to death on daily basis as of late....? I know that whenever I think of John and Trish, I just want to hold on tight! I am so very sad about your loss and what you are going thru....but your positive outlook is so uplifting! I pray for Trish's continued recovery.

That was the first thing I did when I found out about their tragedy was grab Whiskey and hug her and love on her like there is no tomorrow.

 

[Patti]

As devastating as this event is, I used it as a learning opportunity. I reviewed my home and realized that I had smoke detectors on all 3 levels, but they were all connected to the power grid (electric not battery), and none in bedrooms. Power goes out and no more detectors. For very little money, all living areas including bedrooms each now have a battery smoke detector. I even added a carbon monoxide detector near the water heater and furnace (natural gas utilities in my home.)

I also went out and bought all new battery operated fire detectors, and have been having anxiety attacks about house fires again, something I've not had since my son was a child...

 

[Patti]

Calling 911 from a cell phone goes to a regional call center, while dialing from a land line they know immediately where you are calling from and it goes directly to the people who can help you. A cell phone call has to be routed to the appropriate municipality. They still haven't produced Trish's first 911 call which lasted 42 seconds and was never routed to our cities emergency dispatcher. Fortunately the neighbor had also seen the flames and dialed from his land line.

OMG I had no idea! My land line hasn't worked for years and I've never bothered to have it fixed. I guess I need to revisit that now...

 

[Alicia]

I also went out and bought all new battery operated fire detectors, and have been having anxiety attacks about house fires again, something I've not had since my son was a child...

Dislike anxiety is the worst.....

 

[John Popp]

Just wanted to post a little update and say thanks again for all the support.

We have found a temporary residence which is a really big deal for us, especially Trish. It's the first step towards normalcy despite our heavy hearts and will allow us to have some sanctity in our home life. Here's a picture of the home from last summer and we are extremely grateful to those who made it available to us.

This week Trish was able to do a lot of her work from home despite the rest of her crew being in Florida and I was able to go to Chicago with a more typical work week. When I arrived in Chicago I was greeted by some pretty brutal weather, highs in the single digits, lows below zero and winds over 20mph. I've certainly been colder places, but Chicago has a knack for catching me unprepared and this time not because I didn't think things through.

I arrived at O'Hare with a spring/fall coat, no hat and no gloves. I'm a pretty hearty guy so I wasn't much worried about it. A half mile walk from the train station to our Chicago office dragging a suitcase and when I arrived the tough guy persona was all washed up. Fortunately one of my coworkers lent me a hat and some gloves and at least being outside for a few minutes didn't need to seem like a near death experience.

So my last day in Chicago I was able to do some shopping and pick up some of the cold weather gear lost in the fire. I visited the Patagonia store off the magnificent mile and started loading up on the things I had lost. The sales associate was a bit curious and asked me where I was traveling to, and I let him know of our ordeal. He left me alone for a bit, then returned and helped me finish shopping. When I was checking out he let me know that Patagonia extended me 50% off on my entire purchase which immediately put me to tears.

More than our cherished pets or all our possessions being lost what brings a tear to my eye most is the kindness of others. From watching a guy give some granola bars to a homeless man on the train to someone giving up their seat on a flight, it weighs heavy on my heart hoping that I would do the same. The thought that so many people have stepped up to help Trish and I is completely humbling and we are looking forward to the time that we can pass along the donation to the respective charities who have made a huge difference in our lives.

On Tuesday of this week, Trish will get to meet the firefighters who rescued her. My Mom and sister had asked them what we could do for them, letting them know we would probably fall short of the million dollars it cost for a new fire truck, and all they asked is for an opportunity to meet Trish. I've been told that what transpired isn't the norm and firefighters will devote a lifetime to trying to save people and under these circumstances not have this kind of results .

For that and everything else we are forever grateful, humbled and extremely fortunate.

 

[Trish Allearz]

Oh Chicago was horrid this week! I had a kitten stranded there because the weather was too horrid to fly. I can't imagine you being out in that weather!

I'm so glad you're getting into a house. You and Trish do need normalcy, as much as is possible.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

[John Popp]

Thanks Trish!

Not like I was sleeping in a cardboard box and had a rope of christmas tree lights wrapped around me to keep warm, but yeah it was brutally cold.

The home thing is totally awesome and having been turned away from some others because of the short term lease, it was great that both the landlord and real estate agent were familiar with our plight before we arrived. Still trying to figure out how she knew and glad she had big hugs for Trish and I when the tears started flowing and we finally had some place to call home for a while.

 

[WitchyWoman]

It makes me happy that you and Trish are on the path toward new beginnings. If you were not deserving of the acts of kindness that have been extended to you, the universe would not have sent them your way. There is no doubt in my mind that you will pay it forward. You have probably already done so in the past or those acts of kindness of which you speak would not have been returned to you now.

Trish's reunion with those who saved her will be quite emotional with the predominant emotion being joy.

Continued blessings to both of you.

 

[John Popp]

Thanks Deborah!

I've said in the past that I had "Karma to Burn" as I always tried to do the right thing the right way. Although in these times of trouble acts of charity seem to have come back to us tenfold.

 

[Becki]

I am so glad you found a home to get grounded and return to some semblance of normalcy. As for meeting the firefighters, it will be as much, if not more, emotional for them as it will for you and Trish. Tycen was a flight paramedic (dustoff) in the Army as well as a pretty good stint as an SF medic. When he wasn't deployed, he volunteered as a firefighter and paramedic wherever we were stationed that had volunteer units. Because he is an EMT-P, most units were thrilled to have him, so he did a lot of civilian calls. When they are on scene, these guys are in total work mode with an uncanny ability to set emotion to the side. Their focus is saving life until they get patients to the hospital. When their job is done, however, they are affected by the people they have worked on and when they get to return to meet someone who made it, it reminds them of why they do what they do. All of the risk is worth it because they helped save a life.

I will be spending a ton of time going through OHare this year due to a particularly tough negotiation I have. It is not my favorite place!