By: NICOLAS FIERRO
Salina Post
A fundraiser has been established for two Kansas Wesleyan students and couple that suffered from a recent apartment fire, losing all of their belongings.
On January 14, Aidan Henderson and Jaidyn Adams lives were changed after a significant fire struck their apartment. The fire occured when Henderson was at home and Adams left for work just 20 minutes beforehand.
Henderson described the moments before and during the fire. He was laying down on the couch inside the living room when suddenly he heard a "tapping or scratching" sensation in their office window. When the noise kept going, Henderson got up to walk towards the office and saw the fire building up.
"There is a window directly across from the doorway in the office, and as soon as I walked up to the doorway I could see and hear flames and dark smoke billowing up from under the window outside. My dog immediately started barking, and I started scrambling to find a cage for my girlfriend’s bunnies. However, their cage was buried under a bunch of blankets in the closet, so after about 30 seconds of looking through everything I gut-wrenchingly decided it was best to leave and hope for the best."
Henderson was able to leave with their dog, and he left with nothing but his phone. Fortunately when he got outside, one of his KWU baseball teammates was parked out front and dialed 911.
"I went to him and explained what happened, then called Jaidyn to do the same. For about 5 minutes I was standing across the street in my T-shirt and shorts in 30° cold, trying to wrangle the dog in a massive cloud of smoke, and around a crowd of 40-50 people watching our personal belongings go up in flames."
When Adams received the call from Henderson, she hurried back home and was overwhelmed with a sense of despair. When she arrived, Adams ran towards Henderson with many emotions during the span of first responders taking out the fire.
"All I could think about were my precious bunnies being trapped in that building, alone, scared, and overcome with smoke and fire," Adams said.
"I kept trying to reassure her, although I wasn’t too convinced myself of the good things I was telling her. We all were taken to a fire engine to get out of the cold, and then later to the apartment’s office where we sat for hours," Henderson said.
Fortunately, firefighters were able to save the bunnies from the fire and brought a sense of peace for the both of them.
"When I opened the door of the office, I saw a fireman walking towards me with a terrified, drenched bunny, Layla. As soon as I realized that was her, I ran straight towards the fireman with tears streaming down my face, overjoyed by our reunion," said Adams. "Approximately another 30 terrifying minutes passed until I came back into the office to find that animal control had Charlie. I’ve never felt such an overwhelming sense of relief and joy. Aidan and I were reunited with all of our pets, and that’s what mattered most."
After the fire was extinguished, the couple stayed a few days at a hotel and were able to move to another apartment.
"Walking into a new place with absolutely nothing was surreal. We are slowly filling it up piece by piece but we still barely have things like furniture or clothes we once took for granted. It’s a different way of living now, but it has really proven that we only need each other no matter how tough times get," said Henderson.
"Aidan and I have created an immeasurably strong foundation in our relationship over the past two and half years that has given us the perseverance to endure anything thrown our way," said Adams.
Endless support
Nothing but endless support the couple has been receiving following the fire.
The community has been generous providing clothes, supplies for school, monetary donations and their families driving 200+ miles to support them.
With already over $6,000 being raised for the couple, they have been more than grateful for all of those who have supported.
"We have only gotten through this as smoothly as we have because of the support group around us. As soon as word started to spread about the fire, people were texting me asking how they can help, sending us money, sending us clothes. It was an overwhelming amount of support, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have not only a support group like we have, but also a community like Salina surrounding us," said Henderson.
"This entire experience was tremendously traumatizing, yet the biggest emotion I felt was gratefulness. The people and community that have supported us through every step of this journey have kept us going and allowed us to rebuild our lives. From the Ridge apartment staff, Salina fireman and animal control, to our families, friends, and people from our hometown hours away, each of these individuals have given us a second chance at life with our beloved pets," said Adams.
An experience like this can change one's life, and both have had their perspectives change for the better.
"This fire taught us that the most valuable things in life are not mere possessions, but simply the family and people around us. When salvaging anything we could find, Aidan and I both found our Bibles untouched. I had a cross given to me by my grandmother and a prayer box from my sister that were also untouched. Seeing these things remain among everything else that was destroyed, along with the miracle of being reunited with our pets, allowed Aidan and I to understand how truly protected we are in this universe and how God’s hands were over us throughout it all," said Adams.
"You realize very quickly that material things don’t matter much. Stripping everything away from us made us fully rely on each other, and truly work together in times of pressure. This experience has definitely made our relationship stronger, no matter how hard these times were for each of us. We may have lost our stuff, but we gained a deeper understanding of what really matters," said Henderson.
Adams' best friend Auna Plummer, started their GoFundMe which has been a huge success for the two in receiving funds from generous donors.
The goal of raising $6,500 is now over 90% and continues to climb.
To fulfill their goal and donate towards Jaidyn and Aidan's fresh start, go here.