Editor, Daily Press:

Just over one year ago, my mother and I made a ghastly discovery at her storage unit in Keys: It had been burglarized. As if the physical loss, totaling more than $25,000, were not enough, the next blow came when she called the owners of the storage facility to notify them of the burglary and asked them to review their surveillance tapes.

So casually, the owner simply told her, “Oh, our cameras haven’t been working for months; sorry.” The third disappointment was learning that her insurance policy only covered 10 percent of the total loss, less the deductible. A whole home’s worth of furnishings, a lifetime of collecting each piece, gone, and no hope of recuperating the loss.

My parents, who were remodeling portions of their home at the time, rented the storage unit to keep household goods until the process was complete.

Among the things stolen were a set of leather couches, a custom-built entertainment armoire, stainless steel kitchen appliances, a dining table and chairs, an antique cabinet and table that once belonged to my late grandparents, an antique desk and bookshelves.

Those things can be replaced to some degree. But along with those things, the burglars took decades of family videos, including videos shown at my grandparents’ memorial services; memory boxes and baby books that my mother kept for my children; photo albums and blankets my mother knit; and precious mementos from my grandfather’s two tours-of-duty in World War II. Even an urn with some of my grandfather’s ashes was among the list of things taken.

Those things are priceless; they will never be replaced. For months, my mom cried when she imagined that these items which are so precious to our family, were likely sitting in a landfill, cast aside by whoever chose to commit this heinous crime.

We contacted an attorney, who told us to send a certified letter to the owners of the storage facility, explaining that because they were negligent by not telling us that their video surveillance was not operational, they were liable for the loss. The business insurance would have to settle the claim, but the case would likely avoid a lengthy legal process.

The storage owners were rude, claimed they did not have insurance, and would not cooperate. Suspiciously, they turned the blame on us, citing our choice of lock as the reason our unit was burglarized. We certainly have plenty of legal recourse, but simply can’t afford to hire an attorney.

My mom has suffered from post-traumatic stress since the event. She avoids the home furnishing stores she once enjoyed because she is reminded of what she lost, what she can never afford to replace now that she and my father are retired and on a fixed budget.

My father turns 70 this year, and she was hoping to put together a special video scrapbook for him, until she realized that many of their favorite photos are gone forever. She used to enjoy cooking and entertaining. She spent decades collecting dishes and service pieces so she could host holiday dinners for our family. She hasn’t been able to do that again.

Feeling so sad over this type of loss may sound a bit shallow, but to my parents, these weren’t just “things”; each item lost represented a part of their lives that they worked so hard to build together. For someone else to take it away, someone who clearly has no conscience, is simply atrocious.

My intent in writing this letter is to prevent this from happening to anyone else. If you require the use of an off-site storage facility, make sure the owners and operators are within the limits of your contract to protect your belongings. If they say they provide 24-hour video surveillance, ask to see the camera feeds. Check up on them often.

Be sure you are insured. Insurance may not cover all of your loss should anything happen, but some policies are better than others. And even if you are only renting the storage room for a short time, as was the case with my parents, make sure nothing you store inside is irreplaceable.

Finally, should you read this and have any information that you feel may be relevant, please contact the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department.