Kupuna displaced by Lahaina fire struggling to find a home while battling lung cancer
By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow
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MAUI, HAWAI’I (KITV) — 73-year-old Primrose Loebl is one of thousands displaced by the Lahaina fire who fears she could end up homeless. But as she searches for housing she is also navigating another challenge — cancer.
Shortly after Loebl was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer, she was notified she needed to move out of the Napili home she has been renting for about 8 years. The owners of the house lost their primary home to the August wildfire, so they need to move into the one Loebl was renting from them.
“It’s like I got hit by not one but two bad situations, and trying to get out to look for a place was almost impossible,” Loebl shared, adding she is struggling to find a place she can afford because she is retired and relies on social security as her only source of income.
“I don’t want to be homeless…I always told my kids that if it came to it I wouldn’t mind buying a tent and living down at the beach but for a 73-year-old woman, living on the beach is not safe.”
Loebl has about two weeks to find a new place as she continues to take biopsies and tests to determine her cancer status.
Despite the adversities she faces, she appears unshakable.
“To deal with it, I pray a lot and I am so determined to get through this,” Loebl asserted.
“Impossible is not in my vocabulary.”
Loebl’s family arranged an online donation page hoping to raise money to help pay for rent.
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