Life After the Wildfires
Rising Hearts has strong roots in Tovaangar area and we are feeling the heaviness. Our hearts are with everyone who is affected by the fires. We are here to help in anyway we can. It’s imortant not only that we raise awareness but that we are also follow up with after care from a devastation this big. This is the definition that we at Rising Hearts live by “BE A GOOD RELATIVE”. We followed up with some of our athlete advocates community members and friends to learn about how life has been after the fires. Please read, support and share. We are so grateful for this community and how everyone showed up for Tovaangar (LA) community. Let’s keep up the good work together.
-Rising Hearts
LIFE AFTER THE WILDFIRES
Jinghuan
On a recent Saturday long run, my training partner of late, Brandon, asked if I’d be interested in stopping by the Santa Anita race track. The Derby Day 5k was happening that day. We jogged our way to the race location. Runners were still trickling in and picking up their bibs. We ran around in the starting line area.
“Maybe you should just run this race,” Brandon suggested. “Funny you said that. This 5k was giving away free bibs to fire victims. I thought about it briefly, and decided not to do it.” I said.
Not wanting to do things has been a theme lately. After the Eaton fire that destroyed my home and more than 9,000 structures in Altadena, I simply don’t have strong desires to do much. This Anne Lamott quote has been on my mind lately. “I was in a terrible mood this morning. Grumpy, grouchy, not grateful at all.”
Spring break was coming up. My daughter asked me to book a vacation for us. “I don’t feel like going anywhere,” I said.
A good friend is planning a fancy brunch to celebrate our resilience facing life’s ups and downs. I haven’t responded.
My brother and his wife just welcomed their first baby. I planned to start a college savings account under her name, but haven’t done that. That college tuition is not going to pay for itself. My niece is now three weeks old. Tik tok.
668 people have kindly donated to my GoFundMe campaign. I wanted to send everyone a gratitude note, but instead have been sitting with a stack of thank-you cards from Amazon. Should I have boycotted the evil Amazon and consider canceling our Walmart+ subscription?
I guess this is either a symptom of exhaustion from being in triage mode for the last 3 months, or of low-key depression with a gray outlook on life. The tariffs news and a looming economic slow-down don’t help either. Seeing photos of recent “Hands Off” protests brought a little relief. Cory Booker was to swoon over.
To get to the finish line area of the Derby Day 5k, we had to go through a tunnel under the race track. We saw riders with their horses warming up on the track, black, white and brown manes flying in the air. That pungent horse poop smell permeated the air. There was a carnival being set up. We saw stands of funnel cakes, corn dogs and cotton candy slushies. I wondered which was going to kill you first, the trans fats in all the fried food, or the horse droppings floating in the air and contaminating everything.
At the finish line area, we saw the tent from our local running store, Run With Us. We ran over to say hi to my former coach and other friends at the tent. Coach Armand, who coached me for 7 years, shared my devastation. His house, which he shared with his father and stepmother, was damaged beyond repair. His mother’s house burned down. We hugged. That was our first time seeing each other after the fire. “Altadena looks like a ghost town,” said Coach Armand. “Every time I drive by, I cry.”
We continued our long run after this tearful reunion. We did a little fartlek at Arcadia High School’s track, 1 minute on, 4 minute steady, 10 reps. I watched as a group of three college athletes flying past us with their 400m repeats at around 70 seconds per lap. They looked so strong. I bemoaned my age and lack of speed again.
I have, however, been stacking my running weeks nicely. One B+ track workout and one moderate long run with a fartlek have been my diet. There’s a whole school of theory on why B+ workouts lead to eventual breakthroughs. Consistency rules. Blah blah blah.
For all the sadness and low-key depression in my world, I know I’m not dead inside. For one thing, Instagram hasn’t stopped feeding me with images of hard-chested men. I pause and zoom each time, and dutifully flip these photos to my girlfriends.
Brandon and I high-fived each other for finishing another long run. The sun was shining. And I was no longer sad.
Phil
There are moments in life that transcend their intended purpose and become something greater. Running through the streets of Los Angeles during the LA Marathon (while proudly wearing my Rising Hearts singlet designed by Yatika Starr Fields) was meant to be simple training miles for this April’s Boston Marathon. It became something far more meaningful.
When the January wildfires tore through our community, running took an immediate backseat. While my home was spared and my family safe, many in our running community weren't so fortunate. Days blurred together as I helped coordinate donations from generous companies such rabbit running apparel, ensuring displaced runners had at least this small piece of normalcy to hold onto.
I still remember the calls and texts - "Do you have running shoes in size 9?" "Any medium shirts left?" Each exchange a reminder of what truly matters.
The LA Marathon arrived just weeks after the fires, perfectly timed to showcase the resilience woven into this city's fabric. Though not officially registered, I joined my Boston training partner from miles 1 through 21, drawing energy from streets lined with cheering spectators, many who probably had no idea what this simple act of running meant to our community.
At mile 21, my Friday Donut Run Club awaited in our vibrant cheer station—the perfect spot where my training miles ended and my heart's work began, creating a beautiful full circle moment as I cheered for runners wearing the very shoes and gear we'd distributed after the fires, their determined faces embodying everything we'd worked to restore.
I'm hesitant to romanticize tragedy, but there was something profoundly beautiful about seeing our community in motion that day. The fires had taken homes and possessions, but they couldn't touch what makes runners unique – our stubborn insistence on moving forward.
In true LA fashion, we weren't just recovering. We were already running toward what's next, together.
AIR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE VIDEO
The Coalition for Clean Air hosted a webinar that provided information and answered questions about air quality, public health, and the response to the fires in and around Los Angeles. This is a 2.5 hour webinar that featured several air quality and public health experts to talk and answer questions about the Los Angeles fires.
Speakers include:
-Dr. John Balmes, Professor of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, member of the California Air Resources Board, author of more than 200 papers or chapters on occupational and environmental respiratory disease-related topics
-Ed Avol, Professor Emeritus, USC School of Medicine, co-author of the USC Children's Health Study, author or co-author of more than 150 articles on air pollution chemistry and health effects
-Prof. Gina Solomon, Chief, Division of Occupational, Environmental & Climate Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, former Deputy Secretary for Health and Science, California Environmental Protection Agency
-Dr. Rania Sabty, Independent Contractor, Kleinerman and Associates, occupational health and safety expert
-Tim Dye and Story Schwantes, TD Environmental Services, air quality monitoring experts
-Jane Williams, Executive Director, California Communities Against Toxics, award-winning environmental health and justice expert -Dr. Joseph Lyou, President & CEO, Coalition for Clean Air, 12-year member of the South Coast AQMD Governing Board
other families to help
Natalie Mitchell and Family
Support Rising Hearts friend, Natalie Mitchell and Family:
Help us support Natalie and Jerrod, and their children rebuild. Natalie is the host of the Suite Run Podcast (IG: @suiterun), where Rising Hearts founder was a featured voice! Pictures you see are of them meeting for the first time in 2022 at an Allbirds community co-hosted by Tina Muir of Running For Real. What they do for community and with the community is invaluable. If you can donate, please do, and if you can't, please share! You can also follow Natalie on IG @natrunsfar for updates!
Samantha and Her Family
Samantha was one of our wellness / workshop teachers with our former program, Indigenous Wellness through Movement. Sam is also a rock climber, momma, advocate, musician and so much more. Through movement, she offers so much to community. We hope we can help support her family in any way we can.
Support Richard, Heather and Masha of the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team
Help support 3 members (Richard, Heather and Masha) of the Altadena Mountain Rescue team! They all lost their homes and possessions, a lifetime of memories and keepsakes. Their contribution to this effort was protecting the community and keeping them safe, not knowing if they'd have a home to return to.
All funds raised will be equally distributed to the three team members!
Greg and Michael
Help Greg and Michael recover and heal from fire loss.
The Marmol Family
Help support the Marmol Family rebuild after Eaton Fire
Yesenia + Dog, Nippet
Help support Yesenia rebuild. Every donation and share helps towards healing and stability.
CONOR AND CASANDRA
Support Displaced Black Families - GoFundMe Directory
Latine Families Displaced By The L.A. Fires
LA Artists Displaced by the Fires
RESOURCES
Resources:
+MASTER DOC LA FIRE RESOURCE GUIDE
+California Preparedness Resources
+City of Los Angeles Emergency Resources
+California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
+Financial Assistance and Recovery Services:
Financial and recovery services are available to support you:Local 600 Hardship Fund
Administered via the Entertainment Community Fund, which provides funds to members affected by natural disasters.Walsh, DiTolla, Spivak Foundation Catastrophic Relief
Send completed applications to Western Region Director.Los Angeles Region American Red CrossCalifornia Governor's Office of Emergency ServicesMPTF Financial Assistance
+Download Watch Duty app
+ Visit @mutualaidla (IG) and www.mutualaidla.org"