A week after Kelly Tanks lost everything but the clothes on her back, she suffered another "kick in the gut".
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Orange's 'lolly lady' will most days be found greeting children with her warm smile at the Coronet Milkbar.
But last week she was left heartbroken when flames engulfed her Summer Street home above Café Latte.
"Coming to work I see it every day," she said.
"I get that reminder every day because I look down the road and see my bedroom window.
"I had to rebuild my life five years ago and I'd finally got somewhere and had stuff that was mine that nobody could take away from me. I am grateful I wasn't in there and I'm grateful I'm still alive."
Just a few weeks prior to that blaze she also had to bury her father.
"My mum gave me this pendant for Easter which has his ashes in it," Ms Tanks said.
"So if I'd lost this, it would've been like losing him all over again."
Having suffered more heartache in a month than most would in a lifetime, Ms Tanks woke on Monday morning only to be informed that vandals had smashed her car's front and back windows.
"Haven't I lost enough?" a devastated Ms Tanks asked.
"I don't know if it's kids being vandals, I just don't know how that happened. It hit me pretty hard. I went to the car and just lost it."
To add to all of this, she isn't eligible for an emergency payment from social security because of the 75 shares she owns in Woolworths from her time working with the supermarket chain.
Through all of this, there has been one constant for Ms Tanks and that is the smiling faces of the children who come in and out of the Coronet each and every day.
"The kids in Orange are fantastic ... I'm like another grandma to them all," she said.
"They come and give me cuddles and make me realise what's important in life and that's people, people are important, stuff isn't important.
"I believe we live in a lovely place and that this place is special. I've been here 25 years and I wouldn't think of living anywhere else."
That same love she receives from the city's kids is exactly the reason she re-opened on Wednesday, April 7, just two days after the fire took place.
"The Coronet provides protection for the kids, a place they can come and charge a phone, a place they can be in if they are being bullied and they know we will help them," she said.
"It's not working in any sense of the word for me, it's too much fun."
That same community who Ms Tanks dedicates her time to help has also repaid the favour in the week following the disaster.
A GoFundMe page was set up by her daughter Susanne Ward to help her mum push through this tough time.
So far, nearly $2,000 has been raised to help her get back on her feet.
Ms Tanks is trying to stay as positive as she can about the future.
"It's something and it's more than I had at the start," she said of the donations.
"You can't cry over spilt milk because you can't refill the glass with it.
"I'm just grateful to still be here."
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Riley Krause
I am a senior journalist for ACM in the Central West. I cover council, human interest, crime and breaking news. Got a tip? Text me at 0448 239 132 or email me at riley.krause@austcommunitymedia.com.au
