Barrington Family Needs Community Help After Fire, Health Crises

BARRINGTON, RI — A Barrington family dealing with two serious health crises lost their home to a fire last weekend, and the community is rallying around them to make sure they get the help they need.

In 2019, Robert Valtierra developed a rare brain infection. Robert, a former marine, survived, but was left unable to walk and has difficulty speaking because of severe ataxia.

Valtierra's wife Serena Moseman-Valtierra, a biology professor at the University of Rhode Island, had to take on the primary role as provider for both her husband and their daughter Elisa. But six months later, Moseman-Valtierra was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's undergone a mastectomy, chemo therapy and radiation treatments, all while continuing to be the best mother she can be.

Then on Saturday, Dec. 4, things took another turn for the worse. The family arrived home from running errands to find their house on fire.

Unbeknownst to the family, their home had a hidden chamber in the basement for collecting ashes from the fireplace. The Providence Journal reported the fire was caused by ashes building up. Instead of landing in the ash collector, the ashes landed in the wall and ignited the basement. Moseman-Valtierra told the newspaper her neighbors rallied to find the family a temporary place to stay and replace their lost possessions.

"I would love to express my gratitude to the neighbors who, multiple times now, have had to feed me and help our family," Serena told the Providence Journal. "I can't understand why we’ve been so unlucky with these life crises, but we certainly have been very fortunate to find this community."

And now, Moseman-Valtierra's friends and family are continuing to offer their support. Her aunt Susan Malinao created a GoFundMe campaign to help support the family. As of Monday afternoon, the campaign has raised more than $17,000 of its $50,000 goal.

The Valtierras are also looking for help finding housing for the next year that can accommodate the family's medical needs. Any leads can be sent to valtierrahomefinders@gmail.com.