Detroit woman with dementia displaced from her home after house fire

DETROIT (FOX 2) - An elderly woman with dementia was displaced just weeks before Christmas, after a fire ripped through her home in Detroit this week.

A family trying to get back on track after a fire wipes out their belongings and uproots them and their matriarch, Ruth Brown, who suffers from dementia

"We lived in the home for 54 years," said Lashawn Brown Cooper, daughter of Ruth Brown. "My dad passed away in 2018, So my mom, she didn’t want to move so we wanted to stay at the house. So myself, my husband and my youngest brother live in the home."

That was until Monday when fire officials responded to a fire at a home in Monica just after 3 p.m. The Matriarch and her son were the only two home, and they got out without injuries, but the damage to the family home is significant. Many items can’t be replaced.

"When I walked through that front door, it’s unbelievable," Cooper said. "All these pictures are just gone."

The family admits they did not have insurance on the house because affording the coverage got out of hand.

"Our congress people, we need to get on top of that because the insurance on the house was $747 a month, and I just couldn’t afford that." Cooper said.

As the investigation into what caused the fire continues, the family admits they’re grateful everyone is alive, but now they must rebuild. They started a GoFundMe, and they hope anyone who can help will.

The Browns are staying with her extended family for now, but getting this matriarch back into her home as she battles dementia is critical to her well-being and a Christmas wish for the entire family.