A nearly 90-year-old grandmother of four in Altadena, California garnered millions of social media views after her granddaughter shared her words of wisdom after she lost everything following the devastating California wildfires.

For Ruth Judkins, who turns 90-years-old next month, the devastation from the Southern California wildfires has been a time to recalibrate and simplify her life. 

“Know what’s important in your life, and hopefully you have the strength, the energy, the faith to go on and rebuild your life,” Judkins told Fox News Digital. “You may want to change it. You may want to simplify at whatever age you’re at.” 

“But the important thing is to know what’s important and live by what you believe,” she said.

Her simple words of wisdom have struck a chord on social media, where her granddaughter’s Instagram video has racked up over 3 million views and thousands of comments.

“And I want to redo the house. Same footprint. I don’t want anything different except I want a sustainable house with electric heat and an electric water heater.”

A house burns as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, at the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, U.S. January 8, 2025.  (REUTERS/David Swanson)

Her daughter, Carolina, launched a fundraising effort for Judkins after her mother lost everything in the fire.

“When the fire broke out, my grandma had only minutes to evacuate and was able to grab just her dog, leaving everything else behind,” Caroline wrote in the GoFundMe post. “She also lost her rental properties, which were her primary source of income at the age of 89. This has left her with no safety net.”