Katrina Gilbert

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get.”  This line made famous by the fictional character Forrest Gump describes the experience of Katrina Gilbert.  This documentary begins with the main character, Katrina, giving a show and tell about her tattoo.  The tattoo reads “Alis volat propriis” which translates to, “I fly with my own wings, and I don’t need anyone else to hold me up.” After watching the show I find her predicament quite the contrary to her tattoo.  Katrina desperately needs someone to hold her up and help her.

Katrina Gilbert is a 29-year-old single mom who has a ton of medical issues; by the way she has no health insurance.  She has three bambino’s: Brooklyn-7, Lydia-5 and Trent-3.  Katrina works full time as a Certified Nurse Assistant for less than $9.50/hr.  She lives in a trailer park and owns a car. It doesn’t take a nuclear scientist to discern that they are poor.  And per the documentary there are many Katrina’s, “42MM women in America living in poverty or teetering on its brink.  More than 13MM are mothers of young children.”  

When it comes to looking at life as a box of chocolates, I do agree with Forrest Gump, you never know what you will get.  But I also believe that we have a hand in the cards we are dealt.  Katrina made a number of conscious decisions and now she finds herself trying to survive.  But that is another story.

For over 12 years, my wife and I worked with kids at risk and have some experience with single parents.  What I respect about Katrina is that she’s doing the best she can, health issues and all, to take care of her family. We have found, in all our years working with this demographic, that it is impossible to help somebody who doesn’t want to help him or her self.  So I guess I answered the question: should we help?

I find Katrina’s tattoo so telling. At this time, she does need some assistance…but would she take it if it were offered?  This is where self-perception and reality meet. 

Here in Texas, my wife and I are quite familiar with a program out of Quinlan that helps people like Katrina every day.  The name of the place is Bowles Children’s Home. Located in rural East Texas, this resource for single parents, called The Together Program, provides training, childcare, counseling, housing, and job placement assistance at low or no cost, until the mother and children are prepared to go out on their own.  

We should help single parents who have the drive to pursue a better quality of life for themselves and their children.  The bottom line is everyone in life at one point or another has endured a struggle and someone has been there to help them.  Katrina isn’t any different.