A Houston businessman gifted furniture to a Louisiana couple after losing everything they owned in Hurricane Ida and relocating to Texas.
Michele Thomisee and her husband lived in Houma, Lousiana, located southwest of New Orleans. When Hurricane Ida rampaged through the Gulf Coast in late August, the Thomisees lost their home and nearly every possession they owned.
“You just expect the storm to pass and things go back to normal in the in the next few weeks,” Michele told KHOU. “But there was no home to go home to.”
“Within a few days, everything was covered in mold, and wet,” she said. “And everything you worked for is gone.”
The couple moved to Clear Lake City in the Houston area to begin anew and lived out of a hotel for three months. They picked up jobs and saved money feverishly until they could afford a deposit for an apartment and their first month’s rent, KHOU reports.
“We’re going to be OK,” Michele said. “This is home now.”
Though the apartment marked a major milestone for the couple that has endured immense hardship, they still were without many essentials, including a mattress, KHOU reports.
Then, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, the founder of Gallery Furniture, extended a helping hand to the couple much to their surprise, KHOU reports. A yellow truck arrived at the Thomisees’ apartment on Wednesday to unload boxes of furniture and housewares that were Christmas presents from the company to the couple.
The gesture means a lot for the couple that has endured such turmoil.
“We appreciate it so much,” an emotional Michele told KHOU.