Mark and Sandra Rescue Vera

Five Days at Memorial

Mark and Sandra LeBlanc’s effort to find Vera becomes a family rescue mission and a confrontation with Memorial’s improvised evacuation.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Son’s Worry A Son’s Worry from "Five Days at Memorial". A Son’s Worry Cut Off by Flooding Mark and Sandra LeBlanc were outside the flooded city when they learned that Vera LeBlanc remained at Memorial.

A Son’s Worry from "Five Days at Memorial". A Son’s Worry Cut Off by Flooding Mark and Sandra LeBlanc were outside the flooded city when they learned that Vera LeBlanc remained at Memorial.

A Son’s Worry Cut Off by Flooding Mark and Sandra LeBlanc were outside the flooded city when they learned that Vera LeBlanc remained at Memorial. They set out to reach her despite uncertain access and limited coordination. Family Responsibility Vera was not an abstract patient to them. She was Mark’s mother and Sandra’s mother-in-law, someone whose care they felt personally bound to protect.

Finding a Route Finding a Route from "Five Days at Memorial". Finding a Route Seeking Official Help The LeBlancs registered with emergency responders and searched for a way into New Orleans.

Finding a Route from "Five Days at Memorial". Finding a Route Seeking Official Help The LeBlancs registered with emergency responders and searched for a way into New Orleans.

Finding a Route Seeking Official Help The LeBlancs registered with emergency responders and searched for a way into New Orleans. They saw stranded people at the interstate interchange and learned that rescue operations lacked transport and supplies. Boats Instead of Orders When officials could not give a clear hospital plan, the LeBlancs looked for volunteer boat pilots. Their response depended on local knowledge and personal initiative rather than a functioning centralized system.

Vera in the Hospital Vera in the Hospital from "Five Days at Memorial". Vera in the Hospital A Distressing Scene Mark found Vera on LifeCare’s seventh floor, hot, thirsty, and lying in a wet bed.

Vera in the Hospital from "Five Days at Memorial". Vera in the Hospital A Distressing Scene Mark found Vera on LifeCare’s seventh floor, hot, thirsty, and lying in a wet bed.

Vera in the Hospital A Distressing Scene Mark found Vera on LifeCare’s seventh floor, hot, thirsty, and lying in a wet bed. She greeted him and described the situation as a mess. Anger and Action The sight intensified the family’s urgency. Mark and Sandra offered to organize boats and help arrange transport, even as staff struggled to obtain a precise drop-off address and ambulances.

A Patient Taken by Boat A Patient Taken by Boat from "Five Days at Memorial". A Patient Taken by Boat Moving Against the Line As the day passed and rescue remained slow, the LeBlancs decided to take Vera out by airboat.

A Patient Taken by Boat from "Five Days at Memorial". A Patient Taken by Boat Moving Against the Line As the day passed and rescue remained slow, the LeBlancs decided to take Vera out by airboat.

A Patient Taken by Boat Moving Against the Line As the day passed and rescue remained slow, the LeBlancs decided to take Vera out by airboat. Staff challenged the move, but the family insisted that another night at Memorial was unacceptable. A Small Victory Vera was carried to the ramp and placed aboard, talking as she went. Her rescue was an act of family determination in a system that had failed to deliver a clear plan.

The Rescue Remembered The Rescue Remembered from "Five Days at Memorial". The Rescue Remembered A Family Witness The LeBlancs’ account became a vivid record of conditions on LifeCare’s seventh floor and of the resourcefulness needed…

The Rescue Remembered from "Five Days at Memorial". The Rescue Remembered A Family Witness The LeBlancs’ account became a vivid record of conditions on LifeCare’s seventh floor and of the resourcefulness needed…

The Rescue Remembered A Family Witness The LeBlancs’ account became a vivid record of conditions on LifeCare’s seventh floor and of the resourcefulness needed to reach Memorial. They continued to describe what they saw to investigators and reporters. Loyalty and Criticism Their actions expressed loyalty to Vera, but also exposed frustration with institutional delay. The family’s story linked personal rescue to the larger question of why patients had been waiting.

August 29–30, 2005

August 30–31, 2005

September 1, 2005, morning

September 1, 2005, late afternoon

After September 1, 2005