Alex Boerner

Summer Wind

Michelle Tuz, of Vero Beach, went through 2004's hurricanes while simultaneously enduring chemotherapy treatments to fight cancer. Tuz attended a hurricane support group following the storms, which she credits for giving her the tools to deal with her situation at the time. A year later, and nearly recovered from both the hurricane damage and treatments, she says she has a modified outlook on life. "I do whatever I want, whenever I want to," says Tuz, who decided to run through a sprinkler while out for an evening walk around the Waterford Estates community where she lives. "Usually when you get upset it's not because of something you're doing, but because of what's going on around you. I have a little more tolerance for all people, because you really don't know what's going on with them. And even though you may have yourself all together, I realized that it can all be taken away from you like that, without any of your doing."
Vero Beach, FL

Michelle Tuz, of Vero Beach, went through 2004's hurricanes while simultaneously enduring chemotherapy treatments to fight cancer. Tuz attended a hurricane support group following the storms, which she credits for giving her the tools to deal with her situation at the time. A year later, and nearly recovered from both the hurricane damage and treatments, she says she has a modified outlook on life. "I do whatever I want, whenever I want to," says Tuz, who decided to run through a sprinkler while out for an evening walk around the Waterford Estates community where she lives. "Usually when you get upset it's not because of something you're doing, but because of what's going on around you. I have a little more tolerance for all people, because you really don't know what's going on with them. And even though you may have yourself all together, I realized that it can all be taken away from you like that, without any of your doing."