Son Needing Life-Saving Operation Reunited With Parents
Published: October 5, 2005
A story of hope after two Hurricanes is playing out in Nashville this week. A son in need of a life-saving operation was reunited with his parents Tuesday after the family was forced out of New Orleans.
Alton and Flora Sarrazin arrived in Nashville from their make-shift home in Houston looking for their son who was evacuated to Tennessee. The life they knew in New Orleans is gone.
“No words can express what I saw in New Orleans, said Flora Sarrazin, “My house is completely under water, has been completely under water twice.”
But Hurricanes Katrina and Rita weren’t their biggest concerns. Their son, Alton is battling a brain tumor, and he was set for surgery in New Orleans the very day the storm hit.
“The hospital that he was scheduled to have the surgery in was flooded out,” said Flora. “There were a lot of people that were not fortunate, that did not make it, that were left in the hospital.”
They’re thankful Alton made it out of the hospital. He was evacuated to Tennessee, but his medical condition worsened.
The Red Cross in Clarksville really understood what the family needed. They contacted the Red Cross in Nashville to make sure Alton had his surgery lined up at Vanderbilt and also had his parents with him.
“I’ve been told it’s a very good hospital here, and that’s all I could ask for,” said a thankful father, Alton Sarrazin, Sr. “And I’d like to thank everyone that had anything to do with seeing that we got here to be with my son.”
“Me, my mom and my dad, we lost everything,” said Alton Sarrazin,Jr. 37.
Despite the tragedy Alton, Jr. held strong. Mother Nature didn’t make him cry, but seeing his mother on Tuesday did.
“I didn’t cry for a long time, but when I walked through that door just now the emotions hit me. I couldn’t hold it in,” said Alton, Jr. “I’m glad to see them. And right now, with that long surgery, I need them by my side.”
The Red Cross was able to fly the Sarrazin’s to Nashville and will provide all their needs while their son Alton recovers from surgery. The operation is set for Thursday morning at Vanderbilt.
Because the Red Cross is helping hundreds of families with similar situations, restaurants across the country will join together Wednesday in a “Dine for America” day. It’s a national fundraising effort for the American Red Cross aimed at helping the survivors, victims, their families, and other arising needs from both the Hurricane Katrina and Rita disasters.
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