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Neighborhood Report

A little pampering eases the pain

A spa "pajama party'' helps a family cope after a plane struck their home.

By ALDO NAHED
Published July 21, 2006

For the past month, Cynthia Tate has known how hard it is to pick up the pieces. Last week, she took a break - Davis Islands style.

Tate, whose Davis Islands home burned down when a plane struck it last month, got a free body massage, facial, pedicure and manicure at D.I. Body and Boutique.

In between shoulder rubs, she had many shoulders to lean on.

"She's been crying a lot," said Liz Valdez, who helped coordinate the women-only pajama party to raise money for the family.

"We gave her a glass of wine and told her to cry all she wants," Valdez said.

Clad in a peach-colored bathrobe, the pampered Tate, 44, began to heal.

"Sometimes you want to keep it to yourself because other people have it worse," she said.

A smile broke out.

"I'm so blessed," she said. "I feel guilty having my toes polished, or a facial."

About a dozen women paid $55 each to hang out in their pajamas, sip wine and get a massage.

The boutique, owned by Tate's sister-in-law Julie Tate, had planned to give proceeds from the event to a charity. But after the plane crash, which killed pilot Steve Huisman, 41, and severely injured copilot Sean Launder, 25, organizers decided to give the money to the Tate family so they could recoup some losses.

Since the crash, the family, which owns Tate Brothers Pizza next door to the boutique, has been staying at a friend's three-bedroom home in Ballast Point.

They hope to inch closer to Davis Islands so that Cynthia and Tom Tate's youngest children, Loren, 10, and Tommy, 14, can be near school and friends, and Tom, 42, can be close to work.

Cynthia Tate said she has had a hard time sleeping. When she shuts her eyes, she sees the image of the plane, the pilot and the copilot. Then she sees her house in flames.

"I wake up every day reliving it," she said.

"I feel so bad about the pilot, my animals and the man in the hospital ... could have been my son."

Tate's son Ryan, 21, will come home soon from military service. Their cats, Cleo and Onyx, and dogs, Vinnie and Black Jack, died in the fire.

At the pajama party, Tate mingled and began to accept what happened.

"If that is my burden to carry, I'll carry it," she said. "Feeling sorry for yourself won't take it away."

Aldo Nahed can be reached at anahed@sptimes.com or (813) 310-0998.

[Last modified July 20, 2006, 13:24:05]