JEANERETTE — A fire in Jeanerette seven days ago cost a family of three its house and most of their possessions. But this father and his two teenage children are learning that ‘home’ is more than just a structure, especially when friends and families are near.
“My daughter, I just had to hold her, she was crying,” remembers Herschel Lisenby. “That’s our house, Daddy; we’re not gonna have a house’. I said, ‘Baby, we’re gonna’ make it. We’re gonna make it’.”
Last Wednesday, November 17, at about 6:50 a.m, there was suddenly a fire running through the Lisenby's attic. Inside the home, Herschel's 13-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. Luckily, a neighbor-- who never goes outside—was outside, saw the flames, banged on the door, saved the children and in effect, kept the family whole.
Herschel Lisenby had gone to work nearly 30 minutes before, and the hero next door is Miss Leelee who, for some reason, broke her routine.
“She never goes out at that time,” says Lisenby. “She told me something in her stomach told her something wasn’t right. I feel like where she was, when she was, that saved my children’s lives, I feel that way.”
Authorities believe the fire started in the back panel outside and ran through the attic above. Essentially, the Lisenby family lost most personal possessions. But then came the love:
Lots of clothes, financial assistance and a rent house.
“The most important has been emotional support for me and my children,” smiles Lisenby. “We’ve had so many people reach out and say, ‘We want to make sure you’re o.k.’ to ‘Hey, we want to offer some advice’ or ‘Hey we want to offer a helping hand when you reach that point’.”
Love. Fate. A blessed neighbor. Miracles. “It was a blessing, it was a miracle where she was at. It was something else,” adds Lisenby.
Footnote: In May of this year, Herschel Lisenby lost his father, Ernest, a.k.a. ‘Doc’ Lisenby. One of the cool things to survive this fire? Ernest Lisenby’s bible. Thank you, Doc, for keeping an eye on the family in some way, shape, form or fashion.
Note: If you’d like to help the Lisenby family recover from that devastating fire, there are a variety of ways to do so:
Contact: Herschel Lisenby 337-579-8211
Monetary donations (via PayPal):
https://www.paypal.me/littleladiessociety
Clothing:
Herschel Lisenby (father)
Shirts—XL
Pants---36/32
Underwear---XL
Shoes—11.5 or 12
Braitlyn (daughter) (age 16):
Shirts--- L or XL
Skirts--- L or XL (15/16)
Underwear---XL
Shoes—10
Tyler (son) (age 13):
Shirts—youth 16
Pants---youth 16
Underwear—youth L
Shoes--- 8
