It was a beautiful reminder of life — in the depths of devastation.
An ultrasound photo swept away in the horrific Texas flooding was dutifully returned to a Kerrville mom of two by volunteers who drove three hours to personally deliver it, The Post has learned.
Lacy Frondorf, 40, thought the sweet framed photo of her daughter, Willow, in utero was lost forever when their garage, where it was housed, washed away in the early hours of July 4.
“She’s an incredible child. Strong, beautiful, smart, sweet,” Frondorf told The Post Wednesday referring to her now 9-year-old daughter, “and so to have that, you know, I broke down in the kitchen last night, cleaning it off and I’m just overwhelmed with so many emotions.”
“When you’re in a house trying to figure out what’s important, that was interesting, because you don’t grab pictures … you grab things that are in front of your face or things that you have maybe stored away, documents, but you don’t grab pictures,” Frondorf said.
The muddied photo — which Frondorf had not had digitized — was found about 10 miles away, in Center Point, by Roger Flores, 22, who was volunteering with his mother, Marlena, to aid in cleanup efforts.
“Me, being a mother, I know it meant something to her,” said Marlena, with the Berclair Volunteer Fire Department. “I was like, I have to go above and beyond to find her,” Flores said.
Marlena posted a photo of the ultrasound pic to a Facebook group dedicated to Kerrville victims, asking for help and noting the name on it — which was cut off as “Lacy Ndorf.”
“Please if anyone knows her let her know we have and we will travel back to give it to her!!” the post said.
An eagle-eyed Facebook user alerted Marlena, 42, of the photo’s rightful owner — and the two quickly got in touch to arrange for Roger and his sister to drive three hours from Berclair, where various recovered flood items were being housed, to Kerrville.
Frondorf, a registered nurse who also has an 11-year-old son, told Marlena that they lost their “baby memories” in the floods.
“When someone finds an ultrasound picture, I think it gives you just a glimpse of hope, and peace, and love,” Frondorf said. “It gives you a little bit more to keep going and keep fighting.”
The historic flooding in Texas Hill Country in the early hours of the Fourth of July left 134 people dead, including 107 in Kerr County alone. Dozens more are still missing.
Frondorf said 12 bodies were found on her property, which abuts the Guadalupe River. Her house, thankfully, was spared from flooding since it sits on higher ground but their car and garage were washed away. The mom sent Willow — who spends her days fishing and swimming in the river — to live with her grandparents until recovery efforts subside.
“We’ve found multiple deceased people on our property, and it’s very difficult to find those things,” Frondorf said, describing her home as a “war zone.”
Flores has also been emotional while digging through the wreckage. She’s spent her weekends with her family, driving to areas near Kerrville and combing through the destruction while fighting back tears.
Follow The Post’s coverage on the deadly Texas flooding
- Camp Mystic survivors heard screams in the dark as floodwaters hit hours earlier than previously thought
- Camp Mystic co-owner waited 45 minutes to evacuate campers after getting urgent ‘life-threatening’ flash floods alert
- Texas flood volunteers ordered to evacuate as heavy rainfall expected to strike devastated region
- Texas family mourns 8-year-old daughter confirmed dead in Camp Mystic flood disaster
“We’ve found lifejackets, baby life jackets. That was very emotional, I had to cry, because a baby probably had that on and didn’t survive, and we found it miles away,” Flores said.
The Frondorfs believed their beloved 500-pound pig, Mohawk, was also killed in the flooding because his pen was underwater.
“We love this sweet pig, we’ve had him for three years. He’s a rescue pig, and we were devastated immediately because he was underwater when we drove by,” Frondorf said.
So they were amazed when they found Mohawk walking on the side of the road hours after they evacuated.
“Apparently pigs swim very well, so he made it,” Frondorf said.
For Frondorf, the strength of the Texas community is what keeps her going, and she’s grateful for the selfless volunteers.
“People have been so awesome, search and rescue volunteers giving their time and their sweat, and that’s how that ultrasound picture was recovered,” Frondorf said.
Flores said she won’t stop until the work is done.
“If it were to happen to us, in our part of Texas where we live, I’m sure they would pick up and come help us,” Flores said.
“That’s how Texas rolls. When one hurts, we all hurt in Texas.”
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