This Could Happen To You!

Following a career spanning forty-one years in the healthcare field as a senior manager and a business owner, I was looking forward to enjoying a comfortable retirement. To me, retirement represented a peaceful, relaxing, stress-free lifestyle, and a welcome departure from the hectic, fast-paced business world. For the first several months, it was just that until tragedy struck and our lives were suddenly turned upside down. Nothing we had previously done or experienced prepared us for the misfortune of losing our home to a fire. And the task of rebuilding our house from the ground up was not on my bucket list. “Up In Flames” is a story of tragedy, loss, perseverance, resilience, love, family, friends, and community. It is the story of how we survived this catastrophic event and rebuilt our once beautiful home. Though I never thought I would begin my retirement by learning all about the real estate business, the insurance industry, or how to build a house. Numerous challenges, delays and frustrations were encountered along the way. And our story would not be complete if I didn’t mention a few unexpected surprises including identity theft, a car crash, a lawsuit, and even an IRS audit.

John Alessandroni lives in Fountain Hills Arizona with his wife, Sharon. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his MBA degree in Health Care Administration from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Following a career in the healthcare industry, John retired in 2014. He and Sharon have one son and two grandchildren.