Crown Point Board of Realtors

3rd Annual Fund Raiser To Benefit Cartwright family
Date TBA
Their story below.

The Night My Life Changed Forever

It was Thursday night, March 4th.  It was a night like many others, or so I thought.  My Fiance, Ryan, was at work and the children and I were home.  I put the children to bed and after picking some stuff up around the house and locking the door, I went to bed myself.  I awoke to our fire alarm going off and I could smell smoke. I immediately jumped out of bed and ran into the kitchen.  By the time I reached the kitchen, the fire had already reached the ceiling.  The ceiling was on fire right above the stove.  The area was filled with smoke, so thick I could barely breathe, so I opened the front door to get some air.  Well, now I know that was a bad idea because the wind carried the fire further throughout the house and before I knew it everything was on fire.  I quickly ran next door to my neighbors’ house and rang their doorbell a few times to let them know what was happening and then ran back to get the children out.  The kids’ room was on the opposite side of the house.  I made several attempts to get to them, running outside to catch my breath.  Each attempt brought me closer and closer to them but the smoke and fire was so bad at that point for a moment I actually thought we wouldn’t make it out alive. I was in a panic, yelling and screaming to them and lots of crying because even if they were responding to me I couldn’t hear them.  I finally made it to them one by one, first Ariana, who I actually carried out. Then Gabrielle, who I grabbed by the hand and led out through the fire onto the porch.  I couldn’t find Nolan. I was screaming so loud to him that I didn’t have a voice for weeks to follow.  I finally made it to him.  Nolan had locked himself in the bathroom thinking it would keep him safe.  As soon as I felt his little hand in mine I knew we were going to be okay.  We were finally out of the fire, all of us.

It’s nothing less than a miracle that we made it out of there unharmed.  God was with us all that night and we know that.  The perspective I’ve gained through all of this is not to look at the situation as a loss but as the chance at a new life, a new beginning.  It has also made me realize that “things” are not important. “Things” can be replaced, people cannot.

Stephanie Cartwright