A 19-year-old woman named Mackenzie from Sacramento, California was thrown into the harsh reality of adulthood after her mother suddenly passed away from a stroke.
“She would talk to everybody, that was my mom. And I was the quiet daughter she would help bring out of my shell. I miss her so much,” she told CBS Sacramento.
Mackenzie didn’t plan on becoming a homeowner before her 20’s, but the decision was made for her when she inherited her late mother’s house. The house needed a lot of work and she felt completely overwhelmed without any other family to turn to.
Fortunately, strangers in her community stepped up to assist her. People moved by her story have banded together to support her every step of the way. Jeff Osuna, a local fire fighter, is one of those people, and he is donating a fresh coat of paint as well as some plumbing work.
“Just walking into the house seeing the situation that this young 19-year-old girl was living in, it was daunting,” he shared.
“Her mother was a very sweet, sweet woman. She’d come out and greet us all the time. She’d pull in our garbage cans when we were gone.”
Watch the video below to learn more about how a local community is helping one of their own through a very difficult time.