Crystal Luke has experienced a lot in recent years. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018 and underwent surgery prior to a painstaking year of chemotherapy.
Somehow, things got even worse in mid-January.
That’s when a devastating tornado tore through LaGrange, severely damaging Luke’s home and creating a cloud of uncertainty over her future. Only this time it was different.
“This was worse because it wasn’t just me,” the 68-year-old said.
On Jan. 12, at least 12 tornadoes, some as powerful as an EF3, touched down across the state, killing three people. The twisters caused major damage to numerous buildings and houses in several counties near the Atlanta metro area, including Troup, Cobb, Henry, Spalding, Pike and Butts.
Credit: Crystal Luke
Credit: Crystal Luke
Luke was in her residence of seven years when a EF2 ripped across her Baldwin Park neighborhood, significantly damaging more than 30 homes, according to the National Weather Service. Many of the victims were Luke’s friends and neighbors. Roofs were lost, walls collapsed and debris was thrown hundreds of yards as winds reached up to 120 mph.
“It’s just so random, the houses it hit, the ones that didn’t,” she said. “People asked me if I was praying and I said no, ‘I was frozen.’”
Luke huddled in a closet with Layla, her 7-year-old adopted Mountain Cur dog. Both could only hide as the tornado blew out windows and uprooted her beloved Leyland Cypress trees, which fell on the house. She was in disbelief.
When she emerged, there was debris and glass everywhere. A large portion of the roof was gone, both the dining and kitchen ceilings had collapsed and the garage door had fallen on her car. Everything was saturated, she said.
“I used to love thunderstorms and things like that,” Luke added. “These days, everybody I know (in the area) gets a little apprehensive. My dog automatically goes in the closet now.”
Credit: Crystal Luke
Credit: Crystal Luke
Luke has managed to remain positive despite the latest setback in a long line of misfortune.
Diagnosed in August 2018 with renal cell carcinoma, or kidney cancer, that she said was close to spreading to other parts of her body, Luke had surgery and then underwent chemotherapy. Since then, her whole life has been centered around medical bills.
Luke, who has been living on Social Security after losing her job as an apartment property manager during her cancer recovery, slipped in the lobby during a routine MRI checkup last April and broke her nose and injured her knee. Then in late October, she underwent a four-hour surgery for a double hernia.
Credit: Crystal Luke
Credit: Crystal Luke
After the tornado hit, Luke was forced to live in a hotel for a month — and was promptly diagnosed with COVID-19. She later moved to an apartment complex in LaGrange that her insurance pays for, though she still has to take care of her utilities and other expenses.
To make matters worse, she salvaged the belongings from her damaged home and placed them in a storage unit, which was flooded during more severe weather in the area in late March. She said she’s also battling with contractors who are fixing her home.
Luke said she now calls herself “Calamity Jane.” Her college roommate and best friend, Trish England, who organized a GoFundMe page for Luke, doesn’t know how she has kept her composure.
“It’s been a long, hard haul for her since Jan. 12,” England wrote via email. “I don’t know if I could’ve kept it together as well as she has through all this.”
Credit: Crystal Luke
Credit: Crystal Luke
Luke, who will be five years cancer-free in August, said she has tried her best to remain in good spirits while thinking of the people, including complete strangers, who assisted her and her neighbors in the aftermath of the tornado.
A friend even dropped off a plant at the nature lover’s apartment Tuesday. Luke expects to move back into her home sometime in the coming months.
“It’s mind-blowing,” she said of the support. “They don’t know how much it means. There’s no way I can ever pay them back or say thank you enough.”
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