EL CAJON, Calif. — A family in El Cajon was displaced after their home went up in flames in late January.
Deborah Aston watched her home be reduced to rubble. At the time of the fire, she had her daughter-in-law and 2-year-old grandson living with her. All three of them made it out safely.
Aston said, “I know we’re alive, but how do I start over? I don’t have that kind of money.”
The blaze broke out around 7:30 pm just over three weeks ago. Deborah said the trauma of the night still haunts her.
“I go to sleep and I wake up where I think I smell smoke or I just hear sirens," she said.
Sarah, Deborah’s daughter-in-law, is battling stage 3 cancer. The family said a car, which was destroyed in the fire, was her only means to get to and from crucial doctor’s appointments. Unfortunately, now not only is Sarah fighting for her life, but she is also left wondering how she will get to and from treatments.
Deborah has been climbing an uphill battle for years. She lost her husband in the early 1980s while she was pregnant. She has also beat breast cancer. She said that if she can survive all of that, she knows she can survive this too.
If you would like to help, the family has set up a GoFundMe.