ST ANN, Mo. — Five years ago, 5 On Your Side told you about a family that escaped a house fire in St. Ann.
Fast-forward to now ... they have a child heading to kindergarten in the fall and are opening their own business.
"I'm proud to announce the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and a calling," Michael Mason said. "I'm a fully licensed professional counselor and therapist."
It's been a long road for Mason who said he has been homeless twice.
"Back in 2011, I came to St. Louis with nothing but the clothes on my back and I was homeless for six months," Mason said.
He is an army veteran, and at the time, he was grappling with the aftermath of 9-11,
"A lot of my fellow brothers didn't make it back. A lot of them that did make it back struggled, like I struggled when I got out," he said.
In 2019, his house burnt down.
"We had nothing but the clothes on our back," Mason said.
Coming back from the fire and dealing with a pandemic, Mason finished school and is opening Safe Harbor Counseling of Missouri with his wife Rebecca.
"She's chief financial officer. I get the opportunity to sit with the client, she keeps the doors open and makes sure all the bills are paid. Without her I couldn't do this work," he said.
Work that Mason hopes will help people, especially veterans like him, find peace.
"As you come to me for help, you'll know that I understand what's going on, that you are in a safe spot, that you too can heal," he said.
When their home burnt down, Rebecca was pregnant with their daughter Anemone.
"Anemone just went to kindergarten kick-off, she will be 5 in May," Mason said.
Mason's stepdaughter who woke everyone up the night of the fire, Samantha Williams, is now in high school.
"She is doing very well," Mason said.
The Masons lost three cats in the fire and they're still remembered fondly, with the help of new furry friends Tony and Haru.