RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Family members of Wake Tech Community College communications professor, Liz Schroeder, lost their home to the wildfires in northern California.
Her family was able to escape but their Sonoma County house was one of the thousands of homes, businesses, and other buildings damaged by the wildfires.
PHOTOS: Deadly fires continue to rage, burn through wine country, northern California
"I felt like I hit a brick wall on it," she said. "And I've punched through."
Her students have been showing their support with cards, flowers, and her favorite drink - Diet Coke.
Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App
She said she is thankful for the outpouring and that her family was able to survive the wildfires, which have killed more than 30 people.
But Schroeder said the home of her dad, Rusty Dillon, and her stepmother, Betsy, was like a hospital for her brother, Ross Dillon, who is disabled.
He was hit by a car 15 years ago when he was biking.
"Everything, all the medical equipment, the hospital bed, all the physical therapy, everything was lost in the fire," she said.
A YouCaring fund has been set up to help her family.
RELATED: Dramatic video shows what it's like to drive through California wildfires