Woman has encouraging words after home destroyed in Sand Fire
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (KABC) -- A woman who nearly lost everything in the Sand Fire is keeping her spirits high as she turns to her faith.
Jan and Loren Sanborn had been renting a home on Little Tujunga Canyon Road in Santa Clarita for 18 years, but they learned it was turned to rubble by the massive blaze.
"Someone sent me the pictures and I knew," Jan Sanborn recalled.
MORE: Sand Fire scorches more than 35,000 acres, destroys more than a dozen homes
Jan Sanborn, 78, cares for her husband who has Alzheimer's disease.
"My goal was to care for him in a place that he knew, and as long as he knew his surroundings we would be there," Jan Sanborn explained.
Jan Sanborn is a beloved pianist who toured, worked at Cal State Northridge and accompanied the Santa Clarita Master Chorale.
"When I was 3 I started taking piano lessons. When I was 6 I started playing for church, so I have played for church now 72 years," Jan Sanborn said.
The music she wrote along with practically everything the couple owned was destroyed in the fire.
"We didn't have clothes, except what we had on our back," she explained.
MORE: Santa Clarita residents recall fleeing from fast, violent Sand Fire
The Sanborns did not have fire insurance, but friends have stepped up to help by setting up a GoFundMe account.
"She cares about students so much and it's so evident from the love and support from all the students that are directed toward her right now when she needs help," Dr. David Sannerud, friend of Jane Sanborn said.
Despite the uncertainty, Jan Sanborn said her faith has given her peace and that she was comforted with timely words she read in a devotional book Monday morning.
"This is God speaking, 'You can find me not only in beauty and bird calls, but also in tragedy and faces filled with grief. I can take the deepest sorrow and weave it into a pattern for good.' That's my message today," Jan Sanborn said.
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