College student lost her house in lightning fire—stranger who saw her on news showed up with unbelievable surprise
College students away from home have enough challenges to tackle. The finances, housing and the idea of being far away from loved ones are scary. Georgia Southern University student Bella Rosales was already battling these hurdles when lightning added to them, making things miserable for her, per WJCL. In a previous report, she shared that her home was caught up in flames due to a fire caused by lightning. She lost everything and was horrified by the idea of starting from scratch. That’s when an angel in disguise came to her rescue.
Recalling the unfortunate event, Rosales said, “I mean, jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it.” Her home, which she had set up ever so lovingly, was all destroyed. The supplies, belongings and everything the senior required for her final year were all gone. With a loss of thousands of dollars as well as priceless memories gone in the fire, the young woman was worried sick. "Just seeing everything and just counting every little thing. Memorabilia, family heirlooms, like all those little things that didn't have a price,” she recalled. Having no renters’ insurance, family, or other immediate help, she had no idea what to expect.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the woman by her family, which revealed glimpses of her completely destroyed home. In the meantime, she got a new place. Having raised around $5,700 for studies and other expenses, the student was trying to make things work with a low budget. Living with just a mattress and a frame, one can imagine how empty it must have felt. The woman was initially devastated, but to her luck, a stranger took notice and reached out to help. A man named Mike Horn learned of Rosales’ story. He was familiar with the idea of losing everything after Hurricane Helene took away much from him. He then recalled that his loss was healed due to the community’s support.
"Our Statesboro community really stepped up to help me out after the hurricane. Then a week later, I lost my wife to cancer. Just the overall support...I felt that it's time to give back," Horn said. He turned to his late wife’s furniture store and got enough pieces of furniture to fully furnish Rosales’ new house. He coordinated the arrangement and showed up at her doorstep to surprise her. "I'm in shock. I'm so thankful and insanely grateful for the support of Savannah," Rosales remarked. Her house has now turned into a cosy home, thanks to the furniture and the kindness and thoughtfulness rendered by a stranger.
This entire scenario has taught Horn, Rosales and the world that kindness is prevalent and it makes a difference. For the student, this life-changing gift is a generous start to getting back to normal and for Horn, a relieving comfort for having done good. His message to the world is to give and go out and help. "This is not just a one-time thing. I want to encourage people to step out, step up and help out when they see a story like this," Horn said.
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