Anything personal that I could even begin to write about here seems inconsequential to what is happening in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. I keep thinking that if I lived in Louisiana or surrounding area and was going through chemo, what would happen to me? Would throwing me off schedule threaten my prognosis? Beyond cancer, what is going to happen to people who couldn't afford to refill their prescriptions early and may be left without medications or other medical aid? And for how long? I can't even begin to fathom the mental health needs. There are so many issues that people need addressed daily for survival and now they are just trying to keep their heads above water. Literally.

If you have it in your heart to help these people out, this might be a place to start:

If you want to help with emergency needs like shelter, food, water, and critical assistance, please donate to The Red Cross. They have already dispatched hundreds of volunteers to parts of Louisiana and neighboring devastated areas.

If you want to support a long-term effort of providing temporary and permanent housing, direct assistance beyond food and water to get people back into their homes, job placement counseling, and medical and prescription drug assistance, then please donate to Catholic Charities.

Or if these charities aren't to your liking, CNN and FEMA have this list of charities that accept cash donations and volunteers.

A few prayers and good thoughts might also be useful. Those are free so please donate liberally.