Family is all that's left

Attaining, and retaining, the American dream never came easy for Rick and Yoko Cummings.

The couple - he an insurance agent, she a nurse at Little Company of Mary Hospital - lived in a modest Torrance home with their two children. Daughter Laurie, 13, has Down syndrome and autism, while their 10-year-old son, Joshua, is also autistic.

At times, Rick Cummings, a 61-year-old Vietnam War veteran, has worked two jobs to support the family, said next-door neighbor Patrick Carnahan, who has known the couple since they moved into their 1950s-era home in 1983.

As the economy worsened last fall, Cummings was forced to move his 84-year-old aunt, who has dementia, out of a skilled nursing facility and into his home because he could no longer afford the cost of her care.

"They're rich in life," Carnahan said. "They just don't have a lot of money."

Then at 8:30 a.m. last Saturday a fire swept through their Walteria home, gutting the inside and destroying virtually everything the family owned, including their now half-melted 1989 Toyota Cressida.

The family escaped just in time; Yoko Cummings, who had tried to rescue Patricia McKibbin, her husband's aunt, was almost overcome by dense smoke. She was pulled through a window by Carnahan and a friend just in time.

It was left to Gemini, the family's Australian shepherd mix, to help McKibbin.

"Gemini is the hero," said Yoko Cummings, 52. "The smoke was so thick I

knew I couldn't save Patricia by myself."

Gemini stayed with the disoriented elderly woman until firefighters arrived. Despite choking smoke and flames, the dog didn't run from the house.

"They heard (the dog) whimpering," Rick Cummings said. "They said without her whimpering they wouldn't have been able to find Patricia."

Gemini was unconscious for 20 minutes after firefighters pulled McKibbin and the dog from the house.

McKibbin has recovered.

Gemini needed two days at the vet to recover from the ordeal, including six hours of oxygen treatment. The bill came to $2,500, although the vet knocked $500 off.

But that is the least of the Cummings' problems.

They are homeless and without transportation, with two kids and an octogenarian relative requiring constant attention and specialized care. (The couple also have two grown children who did not live in the house.)

And virtually everything they owned was consumed by flames, including family photographs and even Rick Cummings' beloved old surfboard - although Carnahan hopes it can be restored.

Fire investigators suspect the blaze started when a lamp was somehow knocked over onto a couch in an enclosed patio.

Insurance would likely take care of rebuilding their home, although that could take up to a year; it's the short-term that poses a challenge for the family.

"These guys just need to get up and running," Carnahan said. "It's having a profound effect on them."

The neighborhood has rallied to their aid.

A neighbor took the family members in temporarily while they look for an apartment; McKibbin is back in a skilled nursing facility.

The local Neighborhood Watch captain issued an e-mail plea for donations.

The home of Carnahan and his wife, Valerie, became an unofficial dropping-off point for donated clothing and other items.

A retired university professor contributed a laptop computer for the 10-year-old boy to replace the one he lost in the fire. Cyberspace provided solace for Joshua even before the blaze; he has not done well emotionally since, his parents said.

Staff at Launch Preschool, which operates a program for autistic children that Laurie and Joshua attend, are holding a carwash and barbecue today to raise money for the family. On Tuesday, a neighboring family will host a bake sale and lemonade stand to raise money.

"They're an absolutely amazing family," said Sarah Perdue, a preschool staff member who has baby-sat Laurie and Joshua for seven years.

"They work so hard, so I feel horrible for them," Perdue added. "I've never seen them lose their patience with the kids and those kids are very trying."

The family has been stunned by the response so far.

"A house is a house; our life is being put on hold," said Yoko Cummings, her voice breaking. "But it's just been overwhelming how people have helped."

On Thursday afternoon, Carnahan sat outside his house and got a little emotional himself as he watched a work crew remove debris and charred belongings.

"I'm watching these people seeing mementoes from their life being brought out and dumping them in the Dumpster," he said. "The devastation they've experienced and what it's doing to their family and what it's done to their way of life."

Carnahan's voice trailed off.

"These guys are the real deal," he added. "I love these people to death."

With a neighborhood's help, the Cummingses hope to put the nightmare behind them - and get their American dream back.

HOW TO HELP

Two fundraisers are scheduled to help the Cummings family with expenses:

The Launch Preschool carwash and barbecue is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at 4100 W. 227th St.

Ben Walls and his family, who live in the same Walteria neighborhood as the Cummingses, will host a bake sale and lemonade stand from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the corner of Newton Street and Weston Road.