Weathering Storms - And Healing - In NoLa

CBS Evening News Children's Hospital Keeps Sick Kids Safe And Cared For As Gustav Struck

(CBS)  As Hurricane Gustav howled its way through New Orleans, there was only one truly safe place to be: Children's Hospital.

Fully staffed, and with fuel and food enough to last a month, the hospital wraps itself around its patients and their families like a cocoon, CBS News Early Show anchor Harry Smith reports.

"To be honest, it's been like a normal day here, in this room its been like a normal day," said Tracey Bayley. "So that has made it very easy for us - just mommy and son."

Bayley's son, Cameron, had open-heart surgery last Wednesday. Evacuating him would have been dangerous - and, frankly, unnecessary.

The hospital made it through Katrina with just two broken windows. The doctors and nurses move in, as do the families, so the healing continues.

"He's gonna be good for, ya know, a dozen years. He's gonna do really good and he's gonna thrive and grow and he's gonna be able to play," Bayley said.

Eleven-year-old Lexi Hayles has been at Children's for 42 weeks. Her mom, Lenora, was far more worried than she was.

"Were you worried at all when the storm was coming?" Smith asked Lexi.

She shook her head "no."

How come?

"I don't know - cause I like rain," she said.

Smith asked: "What about the wind, and everything else, though? You didn't worry?"

"No," Lexi said.

Making a hurricane day seem like any other day is part of why pediatric nurse Patty Cadella is there.

"I love being a nurse," Cadella said. "And it's important to me, and the babies can't leave, so we're here to take care of them."

She watches over Jude Trahan, born 15-weeks premature. It means the world to his father, Mike.

"We've peaked outside and looked around; all is going well in here," said Mike Trahan. "The staff is doing a great job of keeping everything running smoothly and not missing a beat."

Not missing a beat - in the heart of New Orleans.

[vechible]

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'' .. 7500 miles around sea, 33 sick beds each night, 1.5 miles between sick beds, 6 months all way round sea .. ''

[vechible]

'' .. at first i thought the mortality & suffering was an oversight or error, the more i thot about it the more it seemed deliberated, i probably didn''t get something from nothing; so, i''m probably not some magic speck erupted in some endless oblivion, if there''s forever, though, & most folk most time bide themselfs making others wishes true; then, rationally, i must of wished not to have all my wishes true, strangely: i''m not sure there''s any substantial likelyness i can actually cause such a wish to stay any substantial course .. so one way or some other: some abnormalitys occur i suppose, things don''t always go eternitys way, just usually .. ''

'' .. they''ve got little kids & old people offering free food at all the trail crossings, free medicine, free sexxx toys, free gravity driven sponge bus rides, & they''ve all but got infinite divergence with infinite wishes come true forever, there''s nothing special else i''ve to offer .. ''

[timmybuttons]

I heard about the story last tonight about childrens hospital in new orleans i work in a childrens hospital but onece again you the media forgot about one of the main components that keeps the a hospital open it is the operation dept or other known as engineering with out them you do not have power you do not have water you not have any way of comunication time and time again the engineering departent is left out of the news but we do play a big part in the hospital yes the nurses and the doctors do stay over night but we do too we make sure the hospital runs smooth we are the the people that you do not see all the time but we make sure that is does run no matter what.