Support Needed after Family Tragedy and Loss of Home

Maybe you remember us as the happy family with our sons Zach, Max, and Jake  playing wiffle ball in front of the house on the corner of Open St. and Birchwood Park Dr. in East Birchwood Jericho. Maybe you remember our son Zach, who commanded the stage in the Little Theater at Jericho High School as Tevye in Fiddler, or Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie. Our life in Jericho was a happy one and we were indeed blessed to have lived it.   My wife Nikki's involvement in the Jericho PTA, the boys and my involvement in JAA baseball, our affiliation with Jericho Jewish Center,  and the home we made in that wonderful community all seem like a lifetime ago. In fact they are.   Now, in what  seems to be a blur of time, we find ourselves victims of horrific circumstances that have unfolded over the past 5 years: our son's injury and chronic pain, losing our home due to our lender's mortgage fraud, moving out of state to try to rebuild our lives, then the tragic death of our son, and subsequent eviction from a rental, losing all our possessions.   In 2006, Zach left for USC in southern California, on top of the world, getting into his dream school to follow his passion of studying film in one of the finest film schools in the world. A couple of weeks into his 2nd semester, we received a call from him saying he threw out his back. I instructed him to take some Tylenol, baby it, and it would work itself out in a few days.   Well... 3 back surgeries later, the last one being a spinal fusion , Zach was left living in chronic pain, at home with us again, which we would learn, was a blessing in disguise.   Battling the downturn in the economy, I struggled to keep us in our home, but we fell victim to a mortgage fraud situation perpetrated by the now notorious law firm of Steven A. Baum. (Google the name), who effectively sold the house out from under  our noses, after Wells Fargo had agreed to allow us to sell it ourselves.  Thus, we lost our home and the over $200 K in equity we had accrued.   "We got this," I assured the family, as we uprooted and relocated to New Hampshire, in June of 2011, with our youngest - Jake -  beginning high school. Zach was still battling his medical condition and wanting nothing more than to feel a little bit better so he could get on with his life, and not be reduced to living with mom and dad, having no social life, seeing his huge circle of friends moving on with their lives.   After renting a first home for a year, we relocated to another home to get Jake into a better high school. We signed a 3 year lease to insure he could remain in the school district until the end of high school, and not be uprooted yet again. Jake's resilience and support throughout this entire process had been remarkable, and he soon found his niche and circle of friends in our new community.   Still, things were not ideal. Maybe our first clue should have been that the home we were renting had no running water for the first three months we were there; the well had run dry, but our landlord seemed to take steps to remedy the situation. However, problems with the home kept arising, promises of repair went unfulfilled.   And then true devastation struck - our lives changed forever and we are, and always will be devastated:  our wonderful first born son Zach suddenly passed away in January of 2013, simply not waking up one morning. Unbeknownst to anyone, a virus had settled in his heart, enlarged it, and shut it down. He went quietly, presumably painlessly in his sleep, from a fluke condition that was totally unrelated to his other medical problems.   Our family has been deprived of so much, but losing a child is the ultimate permanent tragedy for parents, and siblings.   How much more can a family endure ?   With the expenses surrounding the funeral for Zach, our ability to pay our rent on time began to wane; although we managed, we couldn't pay as promptly as we would have liked.   As the brutal winter began this past season, our landlord's unfulfilled promises began to take an incredible toll on us. An un-serviced heating system was causing us to burn through 3 times the normal amount of fuel, an expense that was prohibitive. An unresolved natural water flow problem turned our driveway into a skating rink, impassable by car or on foot.   Not having the resources to retain an attorney, I began to withhold rent, and we were subsequently evicted from a home that was uninhabitable during the winter months. Since our eviction, despite the laws and statues of NH, our landlord has prohibited us from obtaining our possessions, furniture, piano, everything we own in this world - including all of Zach's, Max's and Jake's belongings, writings, schoolwork, photos, etc. Family heirlooms, handknit sweaters and blankets that have been handed down for several generations are no longer in our possession. A value cannot be placed on these types of special belongings.  Over the weekend, we learned that the landlord had placed a dumpster on the property and would be disposing of everything.  A "No Trespassing" sign on the property means we will be arrested if we try to rescue anything - even mementos as personal as Zach's writings or family photos.   We are now homeless, temporarily living out of a low cost hotel, and need help to retain an attorney, secure an apartment, and to allow us to move forward from yet another horrific circumstance thrown at our family.   Mind you, we remain strong, and resilient. Through it all, we still have many blessings to count. Nikki and I are both employed; despite the emotional challenges, we have our health, and we have a roof, albeit temporarily, over our heads;  most of all, we have had the love and support of our friends -- but it's from afar. We are suffering; we feel we are in quicksand and can't manage without help any longer. Nikki and I have come to the sad realization that we need to reach out to our friends to help us to get back on our feet. If it is possible for you to help us, to any degree, we will be forever grateful.   New Hampshire, U.S.