The Toledo woman injured in an oxygen tank explosion and subsequent house fire last month is out of the hospital and recovering, according to a family member.
Now, the family looks to rebuild from the devastation caused by the blaze.
Sahara Jacobson told The Chronicle on Wednesday that her grandmother, Rose McFarlane, had left the Centralia nursing facility South Creek Post Acute and was continuing her occupational and physical therapy several times a week.
McFarlane even celebrated her 79th birthday at a family member’s home on July 26. Jacobson said the party “brought a much-needed touch of normalcy back for a moment.”
McFarlane entered the facility on July 19 and spent 20 days there, according to Jacobson. She was first transported in critical condition to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle following the July 6 incident on state Route 505.
Jacobson told The Chronicle on July 7 that McFarlane had been intubated and was in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
On July 12, Jacobson provided an update on McFarlane’s condition, posting to the GoFundMe page set up to support McFarlane and her family. Jacobson reported that McFarlane had been transferred out of the hospital’s intensive care unit, but still had a “long road ahead of her.”
On Wednesday, Jacobson said McFarlane is “doing well given everything she has been through,” but said the “emotional toll has been immense.”
In the July 12 GoFundMe update, Jacobson said the family was now “facing the harsh reality of the long-term devastation.”
“We recently learned that due to policy limits, insurance is only covering a fraction of what was actually lost,” Jacobson said. “Grandma needs a safe place to live, and the reality is we need to help her cover the cost of building a home completely from scratch.”
The fundraiser, first set up to cover essentials for Jacobson's grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins — who lived in the home — has since increased its goal from $2,000 to $5,000.
As of Friday morning, the GoFundMe had raised $4,422 from 44 donations.
”For our family, figuring out how to rebuild a home for her has been an overwhelming challenge,” Jacobson told The Chronicle on Wednesday. “We don't have anywhere near enough funds to hire contractors or replace what was lost, and trying to navigate the rebuilding process with minimal resources and help feels like an uphill battle every single day.”
Jacobson said her and her family’s “hearts go out” to the many other families across the state who have faced similar challenges caused by fires.
“While we are beyond grateful that she is alive, watching her process losing every single thing she worked her whole life for is deeply heartbreaking,” Jacobson said on Thursday. “On top of that grief, there’s the overwhelming stress of trying to rebuild a safe home for her — somewhere she can comfortably rest and make good memories before God eventually calls her home.”
Visit the GoFundMe page at https://tinyurl.com/5n8r979b.
