And the roller coaster takes a plunge ...

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Today is Leap Day!  It is an extra day, a chance to catch up on things as necessary, and maybe do something I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.  This doesn't mean organizing paperwork, compiling budget information, washing dishes, making the bed.  It means taking some extra time to really pay attention to what is going on around me and asking others to take some time to do the same.  

During my time along the Gulf Coast, I've encountered many things that made me sad or frustrated.  Some of them are little -- the "too cool" attitude of many middle school students or the speedometer failing on our car. Some are bigger -- the sadness I feel when I hear about a family that doesn't trust the seafood any more, the frustration and anger that is reignited in me when I listen to people down here talk about how they've been cheated by the claims process.  Most of this I anticipated.

What I didn't anticipate is a problem that breaks my heart.  I didn't anticipate it because I didn't know about it, and I didn't know about it simply because I didn't take the time to ask the right questions.  So today, on Leap Day when we have a little bit of extra time, I'm going to share with you in the hopes that today can mark the day that you start really paying attention to what is going on down here.

People are sick.  People who worked the clean up, people who live in coastal communities, people who swam in oil- and dispersant-contaminated waters.  For many, the symptoms are getting worse, not better.  And sadly, many of those affected are kids.  There are amazing people working here to help those who are ill, but very few resources.   

Now, there are some that would argue that correlation doesn't mean causation: that just because people exposed to oil and dispersants are getting sick, doesn't mean the oil and dispersants caused the illness. And that's true.  There are scientists hard at work trying to figure out (and prove) if there is an actual link. But the fact of the matter is, whatever the reason, a disproportionate number of people in these communities are ill and they aren't getting the help they need.  To me, it doesn't really matter if it is because of the BP oil spill or we're seeing the lingering impacts of Katrina or if there is some other reason for this cluster of suffering.

In the next few weeks, I may have a chance to interview a few of the kids who have gotten ill since the oil spill.  I didn't want to wait until then, though, because I believe this issue needs some serious attention soon.  

I'm still not sure what to do about this.  I can point you to some organizations that might be able to provide more information: LEAN is a good place to start.  But I'd suggest you do some research of your own, looking at sources you feel comfortable with and trust.  You'll find plenty from the summer and fall of 2010, but it might take a little bit more work to find information about what is going on now. 

But, today is an extra day!  Today is the day that you can decide to pay a little more attention to what is happening here.  Sick children are just one heart-wrenching part of the story. The oil disaster is not over.  But you can help to restore the Gulf and it's ecosystems, including the people that call it home!