PHOENIX — Denise Menjivar lives in south Phoenix with her mom and dad. On Christmas Eve, as the family was opening gifts, a small candle in a bedroom caused an eruption of flames. The house and car were both destroyed.
Denise, 26, has down syndrome and the loss of her family home has been difficult to come to terms with.
"I don’t have a house," Denise said through tears. "I felt the house on fire, that’s not good.”
Denise had just finished up opening gifts when the fire erupted. The family noticed a candle in the bedroom had sparked and caught the bed on fire. Within ten minutes, everything was destroyed.
Denise's mother Teresa struggled to get them out of the house safely while her dad blocked the flames with a mattress. The family narrowly escaped danger, but now they're left searching through the rubble to find any remaining belongings.
“But you know what, God gave me life and that all that matters. We got out OK and were safe and we’re good because materialistic mean nothing," Teresa said.
Teresa's focus turned to things the family needs like medications and a bipap machine that Denise needs to help her breathe during the night.
“So, without a BiPAP she gets up in the middle of the night and throws up because she’s not getting enough air and feels hot," Teresa said.
Teresa says that despite her disability, Denise is like any other young lady. Denise says that her mom is her superhero.
“My mom is my superhero, and she saved me. I love my mama so much. Always there for me. I love you, mama," she said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help repair and replace the damaged items.