One day at a time

By Todd C. Elliott todd.elliott@eunicetoday.com

Tara Fruge LeBlanc is doing her best.

The recent weeks have been trying for the Eunice native and her family as doctors believe that her husband, Peter LeBlanc, Jr., is likely to never walk again and may forever be in a wheelchair as a result of spinal cord injuries suffered in a helicopter crash in the Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 9.

Since then, Tara has been in New Orleans every day.

She has begun to take classes Monday through Thursday for one hour a day to learn how to best handle her husband’s new disability.

“My classes are to help Pete, myself and our boys to adjust to the physical and emotional challenges that our family will be facing,” said Tara in an emailed statement. “ This has been devastating to our entire family but all the prayers, hope and support of our wonderful friends and family help us to learn and cope with this experience.”

According to her Facebook status updates, Tara appears to be positive, noting beautiful weather and days in New Orleans to her friends and family.

“I have no choice but to do the absolute best that I can do,” said Tara. “I am a wife and a mother. And although it will be a major life-altering event, I will be there for Pete and my boys. There is nothing I would not try to do for my family.”

More than two weeks ago, she found herself travelling to LSU Medical Center in New Orleans with Scott and Nicki Miller – who are the parents of Nick Miller of Basile, who, with a third passenger, was also aboard the helicopter.

The passengers survived, the pilot was killed.

Since then, Peter has been moved to TOURO Hospital – where Tara has “productive” days working hard with and for her husband, helping in any way that she can.

“The constant prayers, messages, texts and support is truly unbelievable,” said Tara on her Facebook page. “We never had a clue of how wonderful our life is and how many true friends we had until our time of need. I can never thank each of you enough for everything.”

When asked if she thought that her husband Peter might one day walk again, despite all odds, she commented.

“God is the only one who knows that,” she said. “But we believe in miracles.”

Taking life in stride from day to day, Tara said that she will return to Eunice for the weekend of November 2 to attend a shower for the upcoming birth of her first grandchild, a boy, due at Christmas time.