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Elysium · Aug 30, 2009, 03:03 AM

((((( Chalmette )))))

You have truly been through Hell and back!!

Thank you for sharing your experiences here. Your story, although painful to read, is an inspiration to me. It helps me to see that one human being can handle the impossible and handle it well, and it helps me have faith in human-kind, that when the world begins to end, they will come together and show compassion to one another.

It may be difficult for you to see, but you ARE a survivor. I am sure you feel devastated to say the least to have these memories and thoughts in your head, and I'm sure they don't leave you often.

I live in Oregon, and I spent many hours watching CNN during Katrina and feeling helpless. I can not imagine what it was like to truly live that and watching it on TV does not even begin to help one to understand.

There were only two times that I ever felt that I really GOT the impact that Katrina had on people in this Country, but mostly for people in the New Orleans, St Bernard areas. One was a couple days after Katrina hit. I was at work and was taking care of one of my patients. She had her TV on and was watching footage of Katrina and she had tears in her eyes. She had just arrived in our hospital in Oregon that morning. She had come to us from New Orleans and was flown out for medical treatment all the way to Oregon. She said that she almost drown in the flood waters and that she knew she was looking at her city on TV but that she couldn't recognize it. She seemed numb. I sat with her for a while and we cried together. The realness from being with her there was overwhelming for me.

The second time I really feel I felt the impact of Katrina was reading your words here. Don't get me wrong, I felt it while watching it on TV, but TV is so surreal and sometimes things just don't sink in when it comes from a little box as opposed to real people.

Your story is inspiring to me. At some point, I hope you are able to read this to yourself...when you're ready. I do hope that you print it out at least and keep it somewhere for later. Reason being, if not for your own chance to validate your own experiences....I would like to encourage you to write more about your experiences. You write well and writing can be healing. Sorry if this sounds lame, but I would love to see you write a book about your experiences...the before, the during, the after....it is a story of survival and triumph over that which we cannot control...and tells a brilliant story of human spirit, sacrifice, and compassion.

You have earned every right to hurt and cry, every right to be angry. Take your time and be patient with yourself and know that I am here and I am listening....