OpEdNews - Page 3 of Article: The Tragic Yet Inspiring Saga of Pam Whitaker

WHITAKER: I don't know. The Red Cross is really superb. You know, they're right there in. The National Guard is just tremendous, police officers, everybody. I mean, it's just like patients helping patients. And the hospital, they really need everybody's respect.

ROBERTS: Well, hopefully some outside help will be on its way soon. Mayor Shelvy Linville was here with us this morning saying that he is expecting that there will be some help coming from outside.

WHITAKER: Can I say one thing?

ROBERTS: Sure, go ahead.

WHITAKER: Please don't be embarrassed to get in a bathtub thinking it might blow away, because I know one lady, the only thing was left is her bathtub. Don't think about it.

ROBERTS: That's what they say in a tornado. If you can't get into a basement, the best place to be is to jump into the bathtub.

WHITAKER: Yes but a lot of people don't want to get in a bathtub because they think -- I'm weak. ROBERTS: There's an example to save somebody's life. Pam Whitaker, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

WHITAKER: Thank you, sir.

ROBERTS: I hope that everything works out for you. We got to get you some shoes first of all.

WHITAKER: OK. I've got feet, that's all that matters.

ROBERTS: Pam, thank you so much and amazing how strong you are this morning.

WHITAKER: All right, thank you.

ROBERTS: Let's go back to New York and here's Alina.

As I'm sure everyone else was who was watching CNN that morning, I was impressed with Pam's amazing grace under pressure. Talk about courage in the face of adversity! I wrote down her name and vowed to myself that I would later contact this woman somehow to express my admiration for her selfless commitment and willingness to overlook her own dire misfortune so that she could help others who were worse off. (Not that one can get much more worse off than just losing one's entire home along with all her worldly possessions!)

When I returned from Auburn to my fortunately intact home, I went on the internet and Googled Pam Whitaker to see if I could find her address. I found the address of her home had been mentioned in the CNN transcript of her interview and I mailed her a letter expressing my admiration for her. I also sent her a few dollars which I asked her to put towards putting her life back together.

Several days later I came home and found a voicemail message from Pam, thanking me profusely for my letter and the money I had sent her. I called her back and spoke with her briefly. As you can imagine, her life was still in quite a state of turmoil and Pam continued to tell me how all of the townspeople had been so kind to her and she was proud of how her small town had come together and cared for the victims of this deadly weather phenomenon. She praised all of the help that the Red Cross was providing both her and her mother who is stricken with Alzheimer's disease. I told her that she was a great inspiration to me and my family and I wished her luck in her ordeal.

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The Tragic Yet Inspiring Saga of Pam Whitaker - A True American Hero!