{"id":4019,"date":"2017-04-07T13:44:17","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T17:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mlecharbinger.wordpress.com\/?p=4019"},"modified":"2017-04-07T13:44:17","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T17:44:17","slug":"miller-family-left-displaced-after-house-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mlecharbinger.org\/?p=4019","title":{"rendered":"Miller Family Left Displaced After House Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Carolina Espinal & Cesar Zafra<\/span><\/p>\n

While on a school field trip for Black History Month, senior Lorrez Miller\u2019s phone rang. In that moment, the only thing on her mind was how excited she was about making the down payment for the prom-dress of her dreams \u2014 \u00a0that was before the phone call flipped her \u201cwhole world upside down\u201d on Wednesday afternoon. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have bad news,\u201d said her mother, distressed. Her mother explained that their house had burned from a candle-induced fire, but the severity of the situation had not processed for Miller. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t really hit me\u2026 It was not until I actually went back home that I realized how terrible everything was,\u201d Miller continued. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou always hear about these things,\u201d yet she never fathomed being the subject \u2014rather than the observer\u2014 of a tragic story on breaking news outlets. <\/span><\/p>\n

Upon seeing the ashes for herself, Miller reminisced about the memories that took place in the house \u2014 the same one that she moved to from London at seven years old. <\/span><\/p>\n

Among the burned remains of her home was Miller\u2019s most prized possessions: her diaries. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI documented a lot of things,\u201d Miller further explained that her diaries were \u201cmonumental\u201d to her because she would later reflect on them and think, \u201cI sat here and I wrote that.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The entries were full of details, including the times and dates of each. She hoped to later read them to her children, as well as for herself. Of all her losses, she wishes that she didn\u2019t have to lose her diaries to the flames. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet in the face of loss, Miller gained a support system. Her friend\u2019s mother took her shopping at Target for necessities the same day of the incident. Miller felt thankful for her friends, whom she tries to spend time with as much as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t used to accepting so much help,\u201d she said. Miller was usually the type to give advice to others. Now others began to give her their condolences. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not the type of person to look down,\u201d she said. Miller acknowledges that while her circumstances are \u201creally overwhelming and hard,\u201d she wants to keep things as normal as she can amidst a chaos of change and uncertainty. <\/span><\/p>\n

Evidently, the trauma affects her daily school routine, making it more challenging than ever: \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to learn.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Miller was able to find something to look forward to, however. She received an acceptance notification from her top choice school, Florida International University, as well as Florida Memorial University. She plans to complete her Bachelor\u2019s degree and later pursue a career in Business, and ultimately, become a wedding planner. <\/span><\/p>\n

With optimism and a sign of hope, she noted that \u201cevery grey cloud has a silver lining.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, the family of five who is divided. Miller is staying at a friend\u2019s house, her mother with a coworker, and her nine-year-old sister is with a neighbor.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday was my sister\u2019s first day of taking the FCAT, so I\u2019m worried about how she might be doing, \u201d she said, hoping that the incident wouldn\u2019t affect her sister’s performance on the standardized exam.<\/p>\n

Miller\u2019s mother was in the house during the fire. Luckily, she and the family dog escaped unharmed, preventing Miller\u2019s greatest fear, the loss of her \u201chero.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talking to her mother and sister frequently, she is trying to maintain the bond despite the distance between them. As of now, her family is trying to look for a temporary stay in a hotel.<\/p>\n

The American Red Cross has offered relief operations through limited funds and items, but the Millers are still searching for financial assistance. In order to raise the funds to make their transition easier, they have opened a GoFundMe<\/a> page. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carolina Espinal & Cesar Zafra While on a school field trip for Black History Month, senior Lorrez Miller\u2019s phone rang. In that moment, the only thing on her mind was how excited she was about making the down payment for the prom-dress of her dreams \u2014 \u00a0that was before the phone call flipped her…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[281,1675,1922,2380],"class_list":["post-4019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-features","tag-american-red-cross","tag-gofundme","tag-house-fire","tag-lorrez-miller"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t