The year got off to a terrible, heart-wrenching start for many as wildfires spread across the Pacific Palisades, Eaton Canyon, and much of southern California. Countless individuals and families were forced to flee their homes, leaving their worldly possessions and the places they called home.
Many celebrities posted about the devastation and all they lost in the wildfires, including actor and talk show host Ricki Lake, who posted a series of photographs of her home, grieving a place so incredible that calling it her "dream home" did not do it justice.
Lake wrote at the time:
"It’s all gone. I can’t believe I am typing these words."
"After a valiant and brave effort by our friend and hero, [Kirby Kotler], Ross and I lost our dream home. This description, ‘dream home,’ doesn’t suffice. It was our heaven on earth. The place where we planned to grow old together."
"We never took our heavenly spot on the bluff overlooking our beloved Malibu for granted, not even for one second. I shared our sunset views almost daily with all of you. This loss is immeasurable. It’s the spot where we got married three years ago."
"I grieve along with all of those suffering during this apocalyptic event. Praying for all of my neighbors, my friends, my community, the animals, the firefighters, and first responders."
"More to share soon about how we escaped with Dolly and not much else. For now, I grieve."
You can see the post here:
At the end of January when the actress posted about saying goodbye to her home, she assumed she had lost everything, including all of the sentimental items she'd collected over the course of her life, as well as irreplaceable family heirlooms.
Only Lake, her husband, Ross Burningham, their rescue dog, Dolly, and a few things made it out, or so she thought.
But nearly a year later, painter Patty Scanlon had some wonderful news for Lake.
Scanlon went to the Pasadena City College Flea Market last weekend and while there, she purchased a box of photographs to use for inspiration. Upon returning home and going through them, she recognized Lake and who she believed to be her son, Milo, in some of the photos, and she realized she may have accidentally purchased a box of family photos.
To help reunite the photos with their family, Scanlon shared a few pictures of the photographs, inquiring:
"Anybody know how to contact Ricki Lake?"
"I picked up some found photos at the Pasadena County College Flea Market and the box seems to be full of a LOT of photos of Ricki Lake!"
"I think she may WANT these. She may not have copies! Thank you!"
The post went viral and was brought to Lake's attention. Needless to say, she was stunned:
"I'm still in complete disbelief."
@patty_scanlon/Instagram
Lake and Scanlon were able to connect and they became friends, thanks to the whole serendipitous ordeal.
The pair had a conversation about the coincidence in a shared Instagram Live, where Lake shared that these photos must have been copies that she'd sent to a loved one many years prior.
That loved one had since passed, and instead of the photos being returned to Lake, they were accidentally placed in an estate sale. When the box did not sell, it was donated to the flea market, where it finally crossed paths with someone who could reunite them with Lake.
You can hear more about their story here:
The comments section was a celebration of people happy to see Lake reunited with some of her memories.
@patty_scanlon/Instagram
@patty_scanlon/Instagram
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@patty_scanlon/Instagram
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@patty_scanlon/Instagram
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@patty_scanlon/Instagram
@patty_scanlon/Instagram
This is one of those wonderful stories where so many things have to fall into place in order to have a happy ending. Thankfully, Scanlon recognized Lake and worked to get the photos back to her. For someone who went through the LA wildfires, this might have been the perfect end to a year that began terribly.
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