To the Editor:

Having been a victim of the recent fire at Griggs Farm (Building 33 on 12/27/17) I want to express my sincerest, heartfelt thanks to all the people of Princeton for their help and support for not only myself, but all the people displaced by this terrible tragedy. We are all sorry to have lost our homes, many possessions, and the life of our neighbor, Larisa Bartone, to the fire and now we face the enormous task of rebuilding our lives.

Because I came to this country 16 years ago with nothing but my talent, I am no stranger to starting over. Bless Princeton University for giving me the chance to capture their beautiful campus in my watercolors when I first arrived in Princeton and to be able to share them with the world.

I am grateful to be alive and still have my ability to paint, although I have lost my art studio as well. I was uninsured and have no savings, but I am confident thanks to the help of our landlords, Princeton Community Housing (PCH), Griggs Farm Condominium Association, Princeton Human Services Department, and the other local agencies that have cooperated in the organization of donations for our immediate needs. I also want to thank the Princeton Police and Fire Department, as well as the local Red Cross for their efforts that terrible night in the bitter cold.

Out of every tragedy comes a lesson for each of us. Personally, I never want to be without renters insurance again and I encourage everyone renting apartments or houses to make sure that they have this coverage. This has taught me that you never know what life will throw at you and even though we can’t predict the future, there are some practical things we can do that will help if a disaster, like this fire, should happen.

I lost some of my original art that I will only know in the future from the pictures that I took and it saddens me that I will never have them again. Because of this, I am going to be reaching out to the professional and amateur art community at large with the message, and hopefully the means, to raise awareness of the need to be covered by adequate insurance for their artworks, materials, and studios.

I also want to thank again those people, friends and strangers alike, who donated to me personally and PCH on the gofundme.com website (marina-ahun-artist-fire-fund).

Bless you Princeton, you are the Best!

Marina Ahun

formerly of Billie Ellis Lane