The Brownsville apartment fire victims who lost everything right before Christmas now have new homes.

A mother and her four children are now settling into their new apartment. It's been coming together piece by piece after a fire that turned their lives upside down.

"She really was the one most affected. The 5-year-old and the 2-year-old, too would burst into tears," Palacio Real fire victim Silvia Sandoval said.

Sandoval says the fire left lasting images in her children's minds. She and her family lost most of their belongings in the December fire.

"Sadly, we watched as we lost everything. It was heartbreaking to see how, in a matter of minutes, there was nothing left," Sandoval said.

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Thanks to donations, the family has been able to start over at the same complex.

"This television, my neighbor gave it to me. Her name is Illiana," Sandoval said. "We have everything now, thanks to people, because everything you see here was donated by someone."

Even when items aren't perfect, the family is grateful for every donation, making it work for their new home.

"I was given this refrigerator as well, but this one doesn't work, it leaks a lot of water, but since it still cools, we've kept it," Sandoval said.

Channel 5 News spoke with Sandoval when the fire happened. She says that same night she received help from people in the community, especially for her two-month-old son at the time.

One of her most recent donations came from United Way of Southern Cameron County. The non-profit collected funds for three months. The final donations were just distributed.

United Way says they collected $71,000 from organizations, companies and through people in the community. It's money that went towards food, home essentials and new housing.

United Way helped 27 families and single households affected by the fire. Funds were distributed based on where families could afford to live.

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Leftover money was split into two gift cards, $500 for a Walmart gift card and $300 for an HEB gift card. The non-profit also set families up by helping pay their deposit and first month's rent.

"We actually bought this one with the money they gave us, this dresser," Sandoval said.

Sandoval says she is paying it forward when she can, giving back to others in need.

She calls the fire a blessing in disguise. A donor is helping pay for her daughter's eye surgery.

"For us, it serves a very significant purpose, and the most important thing for me is that my daughter is going to receive her surgery," Sandoval said.

Watch the video above for the full story.