Grieving parents receive gift of a healing smile months after fatal Fox Meadow fire: "An act of kindness"
AUDUBON, N.J. (CBS) -- Three months ago, a South Jersey family's world was turned upside down after fire tore through the Fox Meadow apartment complex in Maple Shade killing two children.
"I still have to keep going because the kids wouldn't want me to just stop and not do and give up," Alan Marles said.
For the past three months, Alan and Shannon Marles have been focusing on one day at a time.
Twenty-four hours after celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary, their apartment in Maple Shade went up in flames.
Shannon says she has no memory of what happened on May 7 but for Alan, it's a different story.
"I unfortunately remember everything," Alan Marles said. "I seen it play out."
Flames quickly spread through the Fox Meadow apartment complex.
Twelve-year-old A.J. was trapped in a back bedroom and didn't survive while 7-year-old Hope died days later.
"It's very hard as a parent to have them their entire life and then taken away from you," Shannon Marles said.
The couple lost practically everything. When they went to Affordable Dentures & Implants in Audubon recently to replace their dentures that burned in the fire. Lisa Cannon says she knew she needed to help.
"It's something that's going to bring them up a little bit more to make them happy and that's what the smile is about," Cannon said.
Shannon and Alan were custom fitted with new dentures free of charge on Thursday.
An act of kindness after months of grief and the gift of a healing smile.
"Hope always said 'Mommy and Daddy, you need to smile,' so I feel like this is her showing us that she's here," Shannon Marles said.
Hope would have turned 8 years old next week.
The couple says they find joy in knowing both of their children were organ donors.
They saved a life and a piece of them now lives on in someone else.
