It has been a tough six months for the father and son in Orlando because of all the challenges along their way. Things got even worse for Thomas Cardinal and his son Tommy, who is ten years old, as they are now picking up the pieces of their home.
Their house was torn down by the tornado over the weekend. From the roof to the floor, the house was a total wreck.
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The father and son will start all over
Thomas was emotional when he narrated to Fox 35 what happened to him when the tornado hit. He was sitting at a hallway of their house with a blanket over him and their dog on his lap.
"I was petrified. I've never been through a tornado. I just moved to Florida from Wichita, Kansas, which is the tornado place in the world," Thomas said.
What he is thankful for is that his sister and Tommy were not home when the tornado tore their house. Tommy was at a birthday party with Thomas' sister.
The whole house is a mess. The roof was torn off, the ceiling fell, the windows were smashed, and the drywall was also shattered.
Tommy's room was also ruined.
Thomas shared that he did not get any renter's insurance.
Tough six months for the father and son
Last December, the wife of Thomas died of cancer. After her death, the father and son decided to move to Orlando.
When Thomas came out of their house after the tornado, he was not hurt. He did not even sustain a single bruise even if their house was completely a mess.
"Somebody was watching over me. Somebody was making sure I was going to be OK. I got him to take care of," Thomas said.
Cardinal thinks his wife was watching him when the tornado tore their home.
With all these challenges, Thomas says they are going to start over together.
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Donation drive set up
Thomas is very thankful for the help of their community. Some people are dropping off water and boxes of food for the father and son. Thomas describes the community as awesome for all the help that they have been receiving.
Aside from the help of their neighbors, a GoFundMe page is up for the father and son who is planning to find a new home.
The campaign aims to raise ten thousand dollars. As of writing, 145 people have donated and they have already raised almost 8,000 dollars.
Thomas is very thankful for all the help they have been getting from all the people online and offline.
