Infection is a constant threat, and patients who survive face multiple skin grafts and months, even years, of physical therapy.
Some of those who are close to Mrs. Manning are reluctant to talk about her, because she has always been a very private person. "I suspect she knew far more about me than I knew about her," said an old friend, Harvey E. Rand. But he decided to talk about her, a woman he described as "a ray of sunshine," because, he said, "maybe more people will pray for her."
Her husband, Gregory P. Manning, said he wished his wife could speak for herself. But he wants to pay tribute to her strength and courage, and to bear witness to the enormity of the injury that was done to her. "She deserves it," he said simply.
And whether she wants it or not, Lauren Manning has become a symbol of hope for Cantor Fitzgerald, the bond-trading firm where she works. The firm lost 700 employees in the trade center disaster. Others were severely hurt, including one in the burn unit with Mrs. Manning who died over the weekend.
"There are 700 families who would give anything in the world for their loved one to be where Lauren is," said Howard W. Lutnick, the president of Cantor Fitzgerald, whose brother died in the collapse of the twin towers.
[b]She's got to pull through, because she's got 700 families' worth of love," he said. "It's not fair, but she's part of their hope."[/b]
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Eric The(TheDesireForPaybackRisesWithEachSuchStory)Hun[>]:)]