Click Play to hear Liz Zimmerman, 47, describe the life she had and loved, as well as her fear for the future.
WAVELAND, Miss. -- If you had to take on both cancer and Hurricane Katrina, which do you think would be the tougher battle? Liz Zimmerman did just that and doesn't hesitate to call the storm the more fearsome of the two evils.
"I never doubted for a moment that I'd beat uterine cancer, but with this you don't know what's going to happen from one minute to the next," says the 47-year-old single mother of two.
"This" is the damage to her single-story brick home in Waveland, a home whose mortgage she has just refinanced in order to buy new furniture that was lost in the flooding. It's also the fact that Katrina wiped out the community college where Zimmerman was studying nursing. And it's the fear of losing her job at the Hancock Medical Center, a part-time secretarial position that provides cash, flexibility to study and, most important, health coverage.
The irony is that the divorcee's life had been looking up when the storm hit.
"It was the first time in my life I was floating along nicely," she recalls. Her cancer was in remission, her son, 30, and daughter, 19, were out of the house and she had promised herself that she'd take up nursing, inspired by the medical staff who took care of her while she was fighting the disease. "Then Katrina came along and kind of put a hink in it."
Not only did the storm render her home uninhabitable, but her school -- the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast campus -- was wiped out.
"I'll be 50 something before I graduate," she remembers telling herself.
Classes were quickly shifted to a former hospital in Gulfport. Dotted with portable rooms and portapotties, the new campus provides Liz with hope but also a much longer commute in a car of dubious reliability.
Car has a death wish
"It's really wanting to die on me," she says of the 1998 Chevy that she’s driving so her daughter can drive her newer car. "I keep talking to it, 'Come on Black Betty, get me to school.'"
Zimmerman still hopes to get her degree in three years, but at times that stretches out in front of her like an eternity.
"You're not really living; you're stringing events together," she says. "Last week I was so depressed, I asked, ‘What is the point of all this effort?’"
But she's better this week.
"I've got to get through school ... then I can take myself out of this picture," she says, suggesting she just might one day leave for higher ground.
For now she’s focused on rebuilding her home, and laughing when she could be crying.
Two days before our visit, on a day when workers were busily replacing sheetrock inside her home, she says she arranged a funeral procession for a new sofa that had been her prize furnishing.
"The neighbors and I did this ritual thing where we took off the legs and kind of hummed as we brought it to the curb," she says. "If we had had a trumpet we'd have had a New Orleans funeral."
The sofa, and its four amputated legs, still sits on Liz’s curb, waiting along with other debris for a trash hauler with no set schedule as far as neighbors can tell. Her wood fence still has her cell phone number and insurance agency name painted on it -- a tactic used by many residents to attract the attention of passing adjusters.
Progress is visible
But while the debris accumulates, progress is being made.
FEMA provided a trailer in her front yard and a power line. Contractors are rebuilding interior walls warped by three feet of water and roof damage from a tree. Floor tiles are going in this time around instead of carpets.
“No mold for this girl,” Zimmerman says of a lesson learned.
She also got help from the Church of Nazarene in Excel, Ala., where she had sought shelter during Katrina. The church bought her a small pop-up trailer before FEMA came through, and then 20 parishioners descended on her home to replace her roof in less than two days. The church also donated a new refrigerator and sheetrock for the interior walls.
That kindness has helped temper the tragedy, but Zimmerman isn't convinced the worst is over. For one, no one in her neighborhood had flood insurance since the sea is a mile away.
"Like everyone else, I'm fighting the insurance people and not getting anywhere with that," she says.
Her greatest fear now is losing her job at the county hospital, which is seeing far fewer patients since so many residents left the area. A nurse at her station mentioned some part-time staff had gotten pink slips, leading Zimmerman to wonder if hers is in the mail.
A strategy to fight on
If that new blow comes, she says she has a strategy to keep going.
"I'm not a spiritual person," she says. "I don't have that to fall back on."
But she does turn to the image of crossing a river for inspiration.
"You've got to get to the other bank," she quotes from her own personal scripture. "Unfortunately this river is pretty deep, but we'll get to the other side. ... A lot of others are in the river with me."
Sunbathing for a cause
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I'm using a WebTV so I don't know if this will post but I have read your story on here and I have been to a community college now for four years. I am 55 and getting my Associate in Science degree soon. Sometimes, we lose our faith as I did once when younger. We forget about God but He finds us, believe it or not! He gives us signs when we don't look for them nor expect them. I know that you will persevere in your goals and make it down that road and see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am about to graduate in spite of all odds and hardships against me I have been through. Hang in there, girl! Things change with Time. Always be POSITIVE and try not to let negative persons surround you. Stay in the Light. I am very glad your house was getting rebuilt and I am sure it is back to normal by now! Thank God for churches! Best Wishes to you, a single mom like me!
Sharon Randall (Sent Jun 8, 2006 6:07:32 AM)
LIZ HANG IN THERE WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS. OUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU. WE ARE PROUD TO HEAR YOU ARE WORKING TOWARDS A NURSING CAREER AND GOOD LUCK!!! WE WILL ALL REBUILD AND COME BACK STRONG.MY GIRLS AND I THINK ABOUT YOU A LOT. GOD BLESS.
REBECCA FONTENOT WAVELAND MS. (Sent Jun 22, 2006 12:45:20 AM)
Liz,
You will make it. God is with you. He knows you by your name. He created you in His image. You will cross that river! One day you will look back, and you will see Him there watching over you! He said to tell you He loves you and is proud of you, Daughter.
Gaynell, Katy, Texas (Sent Jun 24, 2006 8:04:46 PM)
I am inspired by your story, Liz. We here in the Atlanta area received thousands of Katrina refugees, and we have been enriched by their stories and their gifts. Yours is a story of putting one foot in front of the other, to keep going despite many obstacles. I want you to know that you are in our thoughts and we pray for your success. Katrina will not be over for many years; we will continue to care and hope for the best for you.
Estelle Ford-Williamson, Avondale Estates, GA (Sent Jul 18, 2006 10:06:48 AM)
Liz,
I finished nursing school in Aug 05 after 30 years as a CNA, 15 years as a single mom and 3 unsuccessful attempts at 47 years old. All I can say is stick with it I've been an RN for nearly a year now and it has been worth all the struggles getting through nursing school. Don't stop with your RN continue with school and prepare to pass your knowlege along to the next generation of nurses. I started my MSN in May and should graduate at 50. We are never to old to learn. I to have battled cancer and won. I look back on the struggles I went through in school and working as an aid full time and wonder how I servived but I do not regret a minute of it. The first time a patient tells you they love you for the care youve given them, you know why you perservered. Good Luck
Iona, Virgina Beach VA (Sent Jul 18, 2006 8:41:28 PM)
Liz,
Your story is so touching. I feel so blessed and wish I could share what I have with you. I too am in the medical field and it is so very rewarding in every way. Don't give up.
Patt Oliver, Big Point, MS (Sent Jul 19, 2006 5:58:41 AM)
Liz, I'm thinking positive thoughts for you. Others too are still thinking about you as you can see from all the MSNBC posts to this story about you written 9 months ago. Six weeks post Katrina I did 2 weeks volunteer work giving vacccinations from a dusty outdoor "clinic" just a few blocks from downtown New Orleans........Katrina still makes me sad.....We need positive, motivated people like you to share stories of rebound and success. Wishing you a very successful nursing career. Your nursing colleague from across the continent, Kathy Duttlinger
Kathy Duttlinger, Lebanon,Oregon (Sent Jul 22, 2006 11:33:38 AM)
Hi Liz,Was really surprised to see you. The last time I saw you was in the seventys.If I'm not mistaking you were driving a little MG.I was a skinny twin by the name of Karen Poolson. I lived on the coner of Central and Sandy street. Glad you made it through the storm and you are doing good . God be with you, Karen
Karen F. Seward Pt. Neches,Tx. (Sent Jul 25, 2006 12:19:00 AM)
Hello Liz;
I am sorry to hear you are going through so very much turmoil in your life after beating the odds and becomming a cancer survor. The work you do in helping people through your career in the medical field is outstanding. Both my deceased mother and my oldest sister are nurses in the medical field so I know the things you do to help others and the things you give up to do so. I am proud of you and wish you the best. You shall always be in my prayers.
Charles Zimmerman Hampton Virginia (Sent Aug 7, 2006 6:50:16 PM)
Liz,
I do believe God has a special purpose for you. You have been strong and continue to show a positive attitude and perseverance we all admire. Those who know you and work with you gain strength from your presence. You are a strong woman and you will survive. I wish you every success, you certainly deserve it.
John Zimmerman Waldorf, Maryland (Sent Nov 7, 2006 3:40:39 PM)
My god, I read things like this and all I want to do is leave and help. My recent life has been no cake walk cancer, death, and learning to walk again have all touched me in one years time but I cannot ignore that there are people who could use my help. I hope that I end up getting the opportunity. Think of what our soldiers could accomplish if they were home. We could rebuild and prevent disasters like Katrina as well as combat and cure cancer. I almost threw up when I found out, while my little brother was fighting for his life during chemo, that the budget for cancer research in the last 30 years... I'll say that again 30 years was the same as 6 months in Iraq. Things must change, and we cannot rely on our elected officials to do it. Rise up, make a differnce.
Alan Vitullo (Sent Nov 7, 2006 7:10:14 PM)
liz -i just read of your trials and your tribulation and your survivor, you have touch so many lives that you were not aware of.All we can say is prayer and sent thought,i was in new orleans around anniversary of Katrina, to look and attempt to comprehend the magnitude of this awlful force of nature and it aftermath was almost incompensiveable.but to be actual in such a situation- my God. give us and update on what happening with you.you will make a wonder nurse compassionate, caring and determination.from a fellow nurse and mother.
beverly page, e st louis, ill (Sent Nov 8, 2006 8:52:49 AM)
From Liz to all who wrote and visited this thread;
The love and support I have received from all of you helps to make life a lot easier. At this time, I am back in my home, I am almost finished with all construction.My little town of Waveland is finding it's sea legs and trying it's best to stand.Progress is slow..but moving forward.Just minutes from my home there is still complete devestation and empty slabs where homes once stood. Money is not forthcoming, insurance just did not pay, therefore people remain in 8x20 campers on blighted property.Our hospital still has no 1st floor and limited resources. We are still trying to crawl out from under...and I know we will. Time is what we need..time to mend. Keep us in your hearts and sending us all your positive energy. Every new day brings renewed hope! This week I hope I make it thru final exams!!!
Love to you all,
LIZ
Liz Zimmerman (Sent Nov 29, 2006 1:44:23 PM)
To All Liz Fans!
As a co-worker of Liz ----she never stops helping
her fellow man. She continues to be a great friend and co-worker. She has organized a cancer support
group at our hospital. She is a wonderful asset to the hospital, as well as the community! Her only
fault is that she is a Ole Miss Fan. I guess no one
can be perfect.
love ya,
GO LSU!!!!
Kim
Kim Spillman (Sent Dec 30, 2007 2:15:44 AM)
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