After their home burned down, Troy was down on his luck and was forced to relocate with his kids to a motel. Some folks with with big hearts then intervened at that point.
Although it is sometimes said that “when it rains, it pours,” it is also said that “the rainbow appears after the storm.”
For Troy Gaskin, a parent from Vallejo, California, both of those statements were accurate.
In addition to being a single parent of four boys, one of whom has autism, Gaskin also lost his job and experienced back-to-back heart attacks.
As if that weren’t enough, his family was left homeless after his home was completely destroyed in a fire.
But Gaskin is making progress in regaining the things that were taken from him because of the loving-kindness of his neighborhood and a few famous people.
At the start of the pandemic, Gaskin was laid off from his job installing home entertainment systems and was suddenly forced to stay at home with his children who had to take their classes at home due to the outbreak.
The father, who was having to raise Chaz, Stephen, Max, and Leo alone, was under a lot of stress as a result.
When a malfunctioning electrical panel started a fire that completely destroyed the rental property where he and the boys lived, he was still recovering from his second heart attack.
“I grabbed the kids and took them outside before dialing 911 and waiting. Gaskin claimed, “I was in a daze.
Gaskin lost everything in the fire since she didn’t have renter’s insurance. including the laptops his kids had for their online classes.
Gaskin’s eldest son, Chas, stated, “I want to have one as soon as possible.” “A little concerned because I start high school next year.”
Gaskin battled to maintain her composure as the family was compelled to check into a motel with just one room.
“Everything has been removed from me. With these kids, I’m simply trying to get by,” he remarked.
“I must be present for these lads. They just have me. They need to see that this is the way to go. You must take care of your child if you are a parent. I’m attempting to teach these kids that.
The family has a GoFundMe account, but it falls just shy of its $40,000 target.
Given that his medical condition precluded him from returning to work straight away, Gaskin was concerned about his ability to locate new, long-term accommodation.
The neighborhood stepped up to offer a lunch train and make donations to the GoFundMe. The family was invited to appear on Kelly Clarkson’s show for the “Rad Dads” section, which was co-hosted by actor and comedian Kevin Hart, since Kelly Clarkson was so moved by their story.
“The people in Vallejo are such a wonderful community. People have delivered home-cooked meals and brand-new clothing for me and my kids to our hotel room. The most affecting aspect of all was that some of these people didn’t even appear to have adequate financial means. Gaskin remarked to Clarkson and Hart, “The entire community here is just nice.
They weren’t about to let this family return home empty-handed, these celebs.
Hart gave $50,000, Clarkson added another $10,000, and their partner Arcade 1Up gave them an arcade game and $40,000!
The Gaskins have found a home and are making great progress toward starting over thanks to everyone’s generosity.
See the breathtaking surprise for yourself in the video below:
