Now, he is left with a handful of charred photos, damaged property and memories worth two years after a fire destroyed his home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Tuesday.
Irwin, a nurse at Mercy Hospital, just a few miles from her home, told CNN she was about to put a Covid-19 patient on life support when her neighbor called and said her home was on fire. .
The single mother of four fled the hospital and called one of her daughters, who was home at the time, to see what was happening.
“She just screamed, ‘Help mom, help,’ and then the phone died,” Irwin said. “I had no idea if my kids were out, I had no idea where I was going home.”
A place to “recharge”
When Irwin arrived at her home, firefighters were working to put out the fire. All three of her children, who were inside the house, managed to get out safely – along with five of their dogs.
“My daughter was sleeping in the back room, and my other daughter was in the front bedroom with headphones on when she was doing her semester final,” Irwin said. She gives credit to her son because he took the brothers out of the house safely and unharmed.
This Christmas would have been the first family in their house and they were looking forward to spending it together.
“I come home so exhausted that I have almost nothing left in me,” she said. “And the only place I always wait to come is my house and this is the only place I can reload.”
She said the work can be overwhelming.
“It’s just crazy,” she said. “We work tirelessly and they (the patients) keep coming and they’re sick. They’ll be fine for a few hours and the next thing you know you code and administer CPR to make their hearts start all over again.”
Irwin said firefighters and investigators were still working to determine the exact cause of the fire, but told him he would probably not be able to return home soon.
“It’s OK not to be OK,” Irwin said. “You just have to keep telling me that.”
“Everyone lost everything except what was on their backs”
Irwin said the fire stripped the family of all their basic necessities, such as clothes and food.
“I can’t process the thought right now,” she said. “Everyone lost everything except what was on their backs.”
Neighbors paid for a few days at the hotel for Irwin and her children, while community members donated some essentials to keep the family afloat.
“I know it sounds silly, but last night we had to put our clothes in drawers and that’s the most normal thing we have now, just a few clothes in drawers,” Irwin said.
Patti Fanshier and Irwin have been friends for 15 years. When he heard what had happened, Fanshier told CNN he wanted to help immediately.
Fanshier describes Irwin as a working mother who “always put the needs of her children before her.” It’s hard for Irwin to ask for help, she said.
“I thought if I could share what happened to him, a lot of people would want to help – even if it wasn’t financially, but by sharing the link to get the word out,” Fanshier said.
Irwin hopes to land a rental property in the next few weeks until the damage to his house is repaired. And even though Irwin said she lost so much in one afternoon, she is grateful that she still has her children with her.