| About Carlana |
A beautiful, successful and privileged seventeen-year-old, Carlana Stone Lawson had it all: she was a gymnast, cheerleader and president of her class. In a moment of bad judgment, she got into a car with some friends in Dallas, Texas, after a night of drinking. A terrible accident occurred, and everyone walked away unscathed except for Carlana, who never walked again..
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| Sunday, October 16, 2005 |
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Katrina
When Katrina furiously swept away the heart and soul of my home state of Louisiana, she took many of my childhood memories with her. This hurricane knew no bounds; the devastation in her wake was blind and complete. Old or young, rich or poor, well or sick, anything you had in that city, material or not, is gone. And who's to say whether it can ever be recovered?
Thousands of evacuees landed in Shreveport where they were either put up by families or taken in by kind strangers who offered what they could. Thousands more are living in shelters and makeshift stadium housing projects. In the blink of an eye, we learned so much about loss and coping with tragedy. We find new meaning in the word "family"; we all seem to belong to the same one in the wake of tragedy. It is heartwarming to see people pull together as they have in times of dire need. As the survivors of Katrina have been adopted by their new "families," it is easy to feel like you can never repay all that you have received.
Helping these people to come to terms with the sheer devastation and the reality of their loss without destroying their hope is walking a very fine line. When all seems lost, the only thing a person can hold onto is hope. Without it there is no turning back. Hope is they key to our very survival.
I have said it before and I will say it again, New Orleans in a great city and she will emerge from the rubble and the scandals. As the song says, "What it means to miss New Orleans" - missing her means she will be reborn even stronger and better for those who live within her limits.
There are so many stories, similar or different as they may be, that have coping at the core. They are about coping with overwhelming loss and survival against all odds. Miracles and hope must carry these people and families forward.
The unsung heroes of this tragedy may never all be recognized for their deeds, and there may arise many issues that only someone from New Orleans can truly understand, but the important thing is that we all have something to learn from this ordeal, and we can all do something to help.
Please continue to support all of the people affected not only in New Orleans, but throughout the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. They are counting on the kindness of strangers as they move on and start to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.
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2 Comments:
Where are you today? I CANNOT put the book down. I keep thinking, "Where was I? Why wasn't I there". Realized I had 2 babies under 2 at that point. Carlana, the book is so you! You've done an incredibly beautiful job of showing the world exactly who you are and how you overcame. Now maybe some of the rest of us will be inspired to share your attitude about life. I love you
Carlana,
Found your blog (duh...).
Enjoy being pleasantly exhausted!
--Thierrion
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