Yanaidy Gomez is a proud New Yorker. A doting mother and devoted animal lover, she has lived in the Queens community of Fresh Meadows for the past six years with her three children and the family’s beloved pets: a guinea pig, Abby, and a bearded dragon, Athena. Much of Yanaidy’s day-to-day life involves taking care of her family and channeling her love of animals into her career in animal research.

January 18, 2024, started off like a typical Thursday for Yanaidy.  She finished her shift at work, picked up her children from their after-school programs and stopped at a neighborhood deli for treats before heading home. This daily routine is one that Yanaidy looks forward to and enjoys with her kids, as she delights in hearing about their days at school while taking a stroll as a family.

However, on this Thursday, their peaceful routine was interrupted by the deafening screams of sirens from fire trucks that raced past them in the same direction they were walking. Yanaidy had a sinking feeling as she watched the parade of red trucks, sirens blaring and speeding towards their block of 173rd Street.

“I think the house is on fire!” she said to her kids. Unfortunately, her instincts were right. She ran home with her children and watched in disbelief as firefighters descended on the property. “They were everywhere. Windows were being broken and doors being kicked in. It was chaos. I felt helpless watching the fire consume my house.”

Once the fire was extinguished, the firefighters approached the family to see how they were doing. They handed Abby to the family, the guinea pig alive but clearly frightened by the ordeal. Unfortunately, Athena didn’t make it. “My children were devastated,” Yanaidy said. “They loved their pet. She was a part of their lives for almost six years.”

Shortly after the family’s loved ones arrived to offer their support, but the days following the fire were challenging and tested Yanaidy’s strength. The place that she once called home was no longer hers. 

It was during this time when Yanaidy got help from the American Red Cross. “I am very grateful to their team for everything they have done for us,” she shared.  “They have helped us in several ways.”

After the fire, the Red Cross provided the family with personal care kits, which include items like toothbrushes and other hygiene products, financial assistance, and temporary lodging at a hotel in the area. Yanaidy and her family also met with members of the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health and Disaster Spiritual Care teams, who are specially trained to help people process the emotional challenges associated with experiencing a disaster.

Additionally, Red Cross caseworkers helped Yanaidy and her family make arrangements to find a housing program. “The [housing program] has afforded my family a new beginning,” said Yanaidy. “We were able to sort through our items salvaged from the fire in the comfort of our own space. The individuals assigned to our case have been wonderful and responsive. They’ve been there to answer all my questions.”

Despite the hardship the family endured, Yanaidy always knew they would be okay. “I had a choice to look at this experience as traumatic or as an opportunity to heal,” she said. “I chose to focus on the positives as much as I could instead of the negatives.”