LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It's only been four days since a water main break chased Abelino Vazquez and his family from their Lexington home, but he's already in much better spirits.
"I'm feeling a lot better right now because the first day I was feeling pretty bad because I didn’t have anything," Vazquez said from the front lawn of his brother’s home.
Vazquez has two brothers who live nearby, and the family is now staying with both. He says it could be 3-4 months before water mitigation and renovations make their home habitable again. Kentucky American Water was servicing the main line when it broke. So far, they’ve paid for the mitigation work and offered $1,000 in cash to assist the family with purchasing essential items. A battle between Vazquez’s insurance company and KAW could be next as they determine who’s on the hook to cover the rebuilding costs.
While they work on that, the community of Lexington has come through for this family. A Go Fund Me account set up by Vazquez’s employer, Chase Hillenmeyer, has already generated nearly $12,000. And on Wednesday, Mr. Hillenmeyer delivered another round of clothing and toy donations for the kids.
“When Demetrio (Abelino’s brother) sent that video of the water rushing into their house, I know how hard Abelino has worked and the sacrifices they made to purchase that home. Your heart just sinks,” Hillenmeyer said.
Father Jim Sichko, the Richmond-based Catholic priest who works with Pope Francis as a Missionary of Mercy, is also flying home after the holiday to lend a hand, not to mention a few bucks.
“I have two thousand dollars of Costco credit to be able to help these individuals with items they may need,” Father Jim said before adding that they can spend more than $2,000 if needed.
“It’s the time of giving, the time of reaching out, and this is exactly what Pope Francis has called me to do, so I’m happy to be able to assist them,” he continued.
Thanksgiving and Christmas will be spent with family; it’ll just be a little different this year.
“We will have a Christmas tree in my brother’s house, but it’s not the same,” Abelino said.
If you’d like to help the Vazquez family, their GoFundMe established on their behalf page can be found here.
