“Everyone who worked in those hospitals was a hero in his or her own right,” said Dr. Cathi Fontenot, formerly Medical Director of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (Charity and University hospitals). Dr. Fontenot was honored for her work and dedication during Hurricane Katrina as one of Glamour Magazine’s “Women of the Year.”
While at University Hospital during the storm, Dr. Fontenot learned that her father, recently diagnosed with cancer, was dying. “ I was in contact with my family in Lake Charles,” she said. “My goal was to get out of the city as soon as possible and be with my father.”
She arrived at his bedside in the early morning hours of September 3. “I walked over to my dad and said, ‘Dad, it’s Cathi. I’m home now, and I love you.’ ” He died a few hours later.
In their own words, LSU Hospitals staff describe events in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
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