Suffering a loss as a young person can be tremendously difficult. You don't know what to expect and aren't always equipped to handle it.
One 19-year-old in Sacramento found herself in such a predicament when her mother suddenly died. Mackenzie was just figuring out adulthood when her mom, Lisa, died suddenly after a stroke in April.
"She would talk to everybody, that was my mom. And I was the quiet daughter she would help bring out of my shell. I miss her so much," she told CBS Sacramento.
Mackenzie quickly had to learn to navigate a lot of areas of life, including homeownership after her mom's home became her responsibility. The 19-year-old was overwhelmed at how to fix up the home.
"It is like very overwhelming to be a homeowner at 19," Mackenzie explained.
Thankfully, strangers in her community stepped up to help her out. Touched by her story, a number of people have come together to support her every step of the way. One of those people is Jeff Osuna, who is volunteering a fresh coat of paint and some plumbing work.
"Just walking into the house seeing the situation that this young 19-year-old girl was living in, it was daunting," he shared.
"Her mother was a very sweet, sweet woman. She'd come out and greet us all the time. She’d pull in our garbage cans when we were gone."
Jeff, a member of the Cosumnes Fire Department, says several others on his team have donated time and materials, while other community members are working on preparing Mackenzie for her freshman year of college.