The saying goes "some people come into our lives for just a moment and leave footprints in our heart." Well, that’s exactly what happened on the tumultuous Thursday during the first few days after Hurricane Katrina. That night, a bus load of Louisiana evacuees stepped off the bus at the Tarrant County Resource Connection in Southeast Fort Worth where Congressman Michael C. Burgess has one of his district offices.

From the bus emerged a petite woman with beautiful brown eyes that were filled with hopelessness and desperation. Her name was LaShawn Traylor; she had given birth to a 2 lb. 11.4 oz baby boy on August 25th, just days ahead of the hurricane, at Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans. She had given birth via C-Section while on a respirator, but with difficulty and emotional strain, she stepped off the bus and walked into the unknown world of evacuees and the caregivers from the city, county and Congressman Burgess’ office.

Her first words were a plea for help. Help to find her newborn son that she had never held, never seen. All she had were the pictures that the nurses had given her. Faith Ellis, Congressman Michael Burgess’ outreach coordinator immediately contacted Kim Reasoner, the Congressman’s legislative counsel, and they began to take swift action to locate the missing baby boy, Lorenzo.

Congressman Burgess, and obstetrician for over twenty years in North Texas, was immediately notified that several women, who had recently had C-Sections, had arrived at the Resource Connection. When the Congressman arrived, he coordinated medical efforts with JPS Health Network for those patients in critical need of attention. He made sure they had cots, blankets, food and medical attention. As he tended to their health, Melanie Torres, case worker for Congressman Burgess searched for food and water for the evacuees while Faith and Kim listened carefully, through tear-filled eyes, the exact details of the case.

LaShawn Traylor had been removed from her respirator just moments before the power went off in a hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. Male nurses carried her, and other new moms, up several flights of stairs to escape the looters that had entered the lower levels of the hospital complex. After reaching the roof, the waiting began. After two days, help did arrive – a helicopter would whisk the patients to a bridge where they could take a connecting ride to the airport and onto Carswell Air Force Base. Landing in Tarrant County, and unsure of her new surroundings, LaShawn was placed onto one more bus for her final ride to safety and the helping hands of emergency volunteers and the Congressman’s office. All the while, she wondered about her newborn child, and the husband and children who were still stuck in Mississippi.

The Burgess staff armed with only an I.D. number from Mrs. Traylor’s bracelet went to work making calls to federal agencies and rescue organizations working for a miracle. A twofold mission, the staff spent time searching and reassuring LaShawn and encouraging her to eat and stay strong.

No one on the congressional staff had any experience tracking down a missing newborn who was presumably taken from a hospital with a natal intensive care unit (NICU). Erik With, the Congressman’s district director, with no template to follow, began making calls to hospitals trying to locate the infant.

Each facility reached was initially elated at perhaps finding one of “their” baby’s mother – for there were many other mother-infant pairs who had been separated during the evacuation – only to be disappointed when no match was found. But they would then offer another name of a hospital which might have the precious evacuee baby and so it went on for Mr. With. Call after call, each one a disappointment until it was discovered, that Lorenzo had traveled to three different hospitals during the hectic evacuation. He was alive and well. At 3:45pm, after 24 hours of searching, Erik With sent out an email confirming that “Baby Boy Traylor” had been located at Baton Rouge General.

The moments that followed were priceless –tears of joy followed by laughter. As Mrs. Traylor sat around a table to discuss the experience she had just been through and the amazing help she had received. LaShawn mentioned that when she walked off that bus, she had lost her faith, but that the Office of Congressman Michael Burgess had helped her find it again. She even decided that Faith Ellis would be Lorenzo’s new godmother. Mrs. Traylor said she would never forget the Congressman’s office.

Although a few days more have passed, the good story of the LaShawn and the Traylor family continues. Shortly after locating Lorenzo, Mr. Traylor and their other children, arrived at the Tarrant County Resource Connection and were reunited. From there, the family went together to Baton Rouge. Yvonne Jokinen, a social worker at Baton Rouge General, called Congressman Burgess’ office to share the great tidings that LaShawn was now embracing and holding Lorenzo.

Through great adversity, hope and compassion must always prevail. Congressman Burgess and his staff continue to work diligently to ensure that federal agencies, emergency personal and the health care needs of those evacuees in North Texas met. The process may be arduous, but the stories of success and joy are beyond comparison. The case of LaShawn and Lorenzo will always be in the hearts of the Burgess staff.