Just a little over one year ago, my life changed in ways that I couldn't have ever imagined.

Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast region of the United States, bringing chaos, death, and destruction. Cities that once boomed with business and life now lie in ruins, shellshocked by the ferocious winds and excessive rains.

The reason why I know so much about Katrina is because I was in the thick of it. I was living and working in Biloxi, Mississippi, enjoying life, when Katrina came calling in the wee hours of Monday, August 29, 2005 (although there were definite signs of her approaching the day earlier).

I will never forget the terror I felt as Katrina howled her rage outside the confines of my home. Water was coming in from underneath the doors, the howling winds rattled the walls in such a way that it appeared that they were breathing, and the power kept going on and off for a while before it went out for good.

I was getting ready to go into the bathroom, to hide, when all of a sudden the walls blew in and the water came rushing in. That was the last thing I remember--that and intense, white-hot pain--before I mercifully passed out.

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When I woke up, I found myself in a shelter. I was in extreme pain. Not long after that, I was flown to Tennessee, to be treated for my injuries. Once at a hospital in Nashville, I ws rushed directly to surgery.

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I don't remember much about those early days in the hospital (just snippets is all; I guess they kept me pretty well drugged up), but I do remember the warm, friendly Cajun tones of this little black-haired nurse who took care of me. She came into my room and softly talked to me as she checked my vital signs and made sure that I wasn't suffering from too much in the way of pain. She wsa there when the doctors told me what was going on.

It wasn't pretty, I can tell you that much!

Basically, from the hips on down, I was a royal mess. I had a badly bruised left hip, a shattered right hip, a shattered pelvis, and worst of all, one of my legs had to be amputated; it was beyond saving.

I was to be in the hospital for the long haul.

I had to relearn how to walk once I was fitted with a prosthetic leg (that was a joke, especially it felt like my leg was still there: the pain was unbelievable!!), and I had to learn to adjust to life being disabled and dependent on a wheelchair (or a walker or later on, forearm crutches). It was one of the worst moments of my life since experiencing the fury of Hurricane Katrina, and I became very depressed.

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Now here it is, one year later. You are probably wondering what is going on with that woman. Well, I am here to tell you that I, Sheniqua Williams, am a living, walking, breathing testimony to the power of the human spirit! :)

I am residing in Nashville, Tennessee, and I have a new job. I am working at Nashville Memorial Hospital, where I am an admitting clerk. I love it. I am making good money, and I am able to live at my own place and pay my bills. I am driving, and life keeps me sane.

I go to church on Sundays, and even though I am hobbled by arthritis and the fact that I now have one leg, I still get around quite well. (I use a cane mostly now, but when life requires me to do extra traveling--like at the mall or somewhere like that, I still have my trusty old wheelchair.) I sing in the church choir, and I live for my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! :)

I am too busy to think about what I went through last year, and for now I would like to keep it like that. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to "open up" to where I could write a book about my experiences, but for now, whenever I hear the mere mention of Hurricane Katrina, I have vivid flashbacks, and it isn't a pretty sight! I wig, I have nightmares, I scream and cry like a baby, and it is not pleasant for those who are around me!

It is because of Hurricane Katrina that I am at the point now in my life. Bad stuff happened, and I have the memories (as well as the physical implications to prove that fact), but good also came out of Katrina's fury; it is because of this that I am blessed, very blessed! :)