Everyone please read!

Hello all! I am writing to you tonight as I sit in my comfortable house with all my wordly possesions and I look around and think just how lucky I am and most people reading this are. If you have been on OH a while you may remember Karen Barrett. She is a single Mom of 4 boys that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, she has lost everything. She is one of hundreds of thousands that seem to be caught up in the nightmare of trying to find some help. If you google search her name with Hurricane Katrina in it you will see she was even put in a newspaper article! Take a look at her profile: http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/profile.php?N=B1076028225 I am writing to you people tonight to see if we long time, not so long time and wanna be losers can band together and help a WLS sister in her time of need! I myself am going to email all my local support groups and ask them to kick in. Please email me and let me know if you are interested in helping out. I will gladly get you Karen's direct email address. Thank you all so much in advance! Lori laprny 1-6-04 222/135 Plastics 12-14-04

Thanks for posting this! She sent several of us an email about what happened and we forwarded it on to several newspapers. Which paper had this article? Let us know what we can do to help. Smoochies Arlies PS btw, Ronda Glantz another of our girls lost her home and she went to Wal-mart and registered for the things she needs. She then posted to let us know how to get to her list. This would be a good thing for Karen to do also.

Arlies! I feel so honored to get a reply from you...I have seen so many of your posts!! That is a great idea about Wal-mart, I will suggest it to her. Here is the link to the newspaper article. http://headlinesupdate.fec.mhe.viapointe.com/blogs/ecKatrinaStory.php I have posted this message on several OH boards and as of right now only received 2 replies. I am very dissapointed. Thank you so much for taking the time to email me. I will forward her email address to your email. Your kindness will not soon be forgotten! Lori

UGH! I was logged in under my friends address! Let me start over! Arlies! I feel so honored to get a reply from you...I have seen so many of your posts!! That is a great idea about Wal-mart, I will suggest it to her. Here is the link to the newspaper article. http://headlinesupdate.fec.mhe.viapointe.com/blogs/ecKatrinaStory.php I have posted this message on several OH boards and as of right now only received 2 replies. I am very dissapointed. Thank you so much for taking the time to email me. I will forward her email address to your email. Your kindness will not soon be forgotten! Lori

I did read her story. Are they still on the coast right now? I will be able to help in the coming week, but especially if she does the Wal-Mart thing, let me know and I will gladly help. I will also let my church know. The Wal-Mart thing is definitely something that would be great for my church as it is a large church and very giving. so ASAP let us know what is best.

Karen and I go way back to BEFORE her surgery!!! We had the same Doc and we fight over who he loves best - it's me of course!!! Thanks for looking out for her! Smoochies Arlies

I would love to do something to help her. Where do we start? I have already bought some things for Rhonda over the Walmart hurricane wish list and it shipped right to her. Karen should really go and register for that. That way we get to see what she has picked out that she needs and can buy it for her online and it gets sent straight to her. Melissa Taylor Lap Rny 1/15/04 277/136 -141 pounds

Okay, she did the Wal-mart thing. It is listed in her name and I think you have to put in the place, she listed as Pennsacola (SP?). I am going to give it to my church group too, I think there will be some help there too, it is a large church with some folks who need someone to help. I know a lot of them are going down and working every weekend and whenever they can. Love to you all. D.