Family Battling Illnesses Loses Everything In House Fire

One El Paso family is grateful to be alive this Thanksgiving.

“She was in tears this morning when we talked to her on the phone,” said Dennece Knight, executive director at the University Medical Center Foundation.

The foundation has been helping the Duval family. Knight said Gracie Duval was devastated by what’s left of her home and not feeling well enough to speak with ABC-7.

Two weeks ago, flames engulfed Duval’s house while she was at a doctor’s appointment with her daughter, Alexis, 13.

“Gracie was sitting in the waiting room when she started getting some calls, which she ignored — sitting in a very quiet waiting room. But then the texts came ‘your house is on fire,'” said Knight.

Fire officials said a space heater too close to combustibles caused about $50,000 worth of damage.

“They have to replace everything,” Knight said.

Ashes and charred furniture on the front lawn add to the list of struggles the Duval family has had to endure.

“Gracie herself had just finished her last chemo and radiation with breast cancer. She’d been working with that for the last year,” Knight said.

Knight said Duval was able to return to work part time last week.

“Her husband has serious complications from diabetes and has lost 120 pounds in the last year. He was actually in a diabetic coma part of this year. Her daughter has a tumor on her neck,” Knight explained.

Having had to deal with all their illnesses then losing all their belongings, Knight said Gracie is — understandably — overwhelmed.

“She’s doing the best she can and she’s still under a great deal of pain from a procedure she went through. They’re dealing with about as much as anybody can imagine,” Knight said.

Now the family needs help replacing the items they lost.

“Gracie made the statement ‘I never knew that socks were so important.’ Your heart can’t help but go out to someone in a situation like this,” said Knight.

To help the Duval family, click here.