Family and friends of a Surrey veteran who lost all of his possessions in a fire Saturday morning are rallying to help his family get back on its feet.
Former paratrooper Steve Hartwig served in the former Yugoslavia, where he was stationed as a peacekeeper in 1993. He is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and last June embarked on a trek across the country from Victoria to St. John’s to raise awareness about PTSD.
Now, the 44-year-old father of four is finding himself in another predicament.
The house his family was renting burned down to the ground this weekend.
Hartwig’s friend Brian McKenna, who is also part of the Royal Westminster regiment, says Hartwig was renting the house and was in the process of moving to Chilliwack.
“But all their possessions were burned,” says McKenna. “They had a few things in a vehicle, but everything else is gone.”
Hartwig did not have fire insurance.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to collect donations. Already, over $7,700 have been raised, but McKenna says they hope to raise $10,000.
“A lot of it is – the guys he deployed with and some anonymous donors,” says McKenna. “We know that down the road Steve will be fine, but whenever there is a thing like a fire, the needs are immediate. And we are trying to mitigate that.”
Hartwig says he is overwhelmed with support.
“It is amazing how incredible people are,” he told Global News.
More on Hartwig’s journey across Canada to raise awareness about PTSD here:
Comments