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3 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,D ecem ber 27,2018 insidehalton.com For a Free consultation call oakville: 905.842.2022 ToronTo: 416.644.3999 Denied Disabled Benefits? I canhelp. My teamof experienced lawyers can help youwith: •Disability Claims Short-TermDisability, long-TermDisability, CPPShort-TermDisability, long-TermDisability, CPP •Car accidents •Slip and Falls •Wrongful Dismissal Injured? injurY and emploYment law I don't get paid unless I getYoumoneY. oFFiCeS in oakville and ToronTo eMail: sspadafora@slspc.ca Welcome Home to tHe neWly renovated Queens avenue retirement residence Now offering 6-moNths Rent-Free* 1056 Queens Avenue, Oakville, Ontario L6H 6R3 www.queensavenueretirement.com *T er m s an d co nd it io ns ap pl y. Experience a retirement community designed for the perfect life balance featuring: l Updated spacious suites with full kitchens and meal programs l Your choice of either Independent or Assisted Living packages l Social and activity programs for all interests l 24-hour staffing and daily status checks Explore the new Queens Avenue and ask about our six-months rent-free offer today CALL 905-815-0862 or EmAIL info@queensavenueretirement.com to book A vISIt Merishia Dessoeza had just finished all her Christ- mas shopping, paid her rent up until April and treated herself to a new Tassimo coffee maker. The born-and-raised Oakville woman was show- ering and looking forward to a season of happiness when she heard the fire alarm. It was loud, so she feared it was coming from her own unit on the sixth floor of her Glen Oaks Co- Op complex where she lives with her two children. She jumped out of the shower, grabbed her towel and went to see if her sev- en-year-old twins were OK. Their bed was in flames, and she tried in vain to ex- tinguish the fire with her towel, but quickly realized it was too late. She ran, taking Kami and KJ with her, while she called 911 and wrapped an- other towel around her. Dessoeza, 27, knocked on all her neighbours' doors, before running to the floors below to alert friends and neighbours. One of them gave her some clothes. That was Dec. 14. Now, she's staying at an Oakville hotel, left with nothing. "Everything is gone ... new bed sheets, bedding, even toothpaste," she said, shaking from the traumat- ic scene she can still vividly recall. "You take for grant- ed the things you don't have. I haven't brushed my hair in a week. I don't even have a brush." Fortunately, they all es- caped unharmed. They were initially taken to hos- pital for smoke inhalation, but released after several hours. The fire broke out at 1880 Dorval Dr. just north of the North Service Road. Oakville fire Chief Brian Durdin said the fire was caused by a child who was playing with a lighter in a bedroom. Damage from the fire is estimated at $50,000. Seven people were treated for smoke inhalation. Dessoeza, who used her Ontario Student Assis- tance Program funds for her children's gifts and household items, doesn't know what she is going to do. She'd purchased a drone for her son and a Hatchimal for her daugh- ter to put under the Christ- mas tree. Now she doesn't have a thing. An Algonquin College student studying for a pa- ralegal diploma, she is to- tally exhausted from the stress of the ordeal, she feels hopeless. Friends and family have stepped up to help, creating a GoFundMe account gf.me/u/pgtz3w. They're currently at $690 with a $7,500 goal. Dessoeza was hesitant to speak with the Oakville Beaver, but said she would, hoping it would help her children, at the very least. She's grateful to every- one who has supported her, including her aunt who lives in the same complex - the same place Dessoeza was born and raised before moving into her own unit. It will be at least eight months before her unit is refurbished, she added. OAKVILLE MOM'S CHRISTMAS UP IN FLAMES Merishia Dessoeza and her seven-year-old twins, Kami and KJ lost everything in a fire that destroyed their apartment on December 14. Nikki Wesley/Metroland JULIE SLACK jslack@metroland.com NEWS BLAZE DESTROYS ALMOST EVERYTHING IN HER APARTMENT