Joplin survivor, a JC native, releases memoir, prepares for anniversary

May 20, 2012 at 5:59 a.m. | Updated May 20, 2012 at 5:59 a.m.

Andrew and Danielle Stammer play a game with their children, Ethan, 2, and Emily, 4, in their driveway. The family sought shelter from the Joplin tornado at St. John's Hospital, which was hit.
Andrew and Danielle Stammer play a game with their children, Ethan, 2, and Emily, 4, in their driveway. The family sought shelter from the Joplin tornado at St. John's Hospital, which was hit.

It's been almost one year since Danielle Stammer held her 17-month-old son, Ethan, close to her chest while thinking she would not survive the night.

Stammer, her husband, Andrew, and her two children sought shelter in St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin on May 22, when an EF5 tornado ripped through the city. Stammer recently released a memoir, "Singing Over Me: A Joplin Tornado Survivor's Journey," detailing her experience when the tornado hit and the following months when the family tried to pick up the pieces and move on.

Danielle, a Jefferson City native, returned to her hometown after the tornado to stay with her parents.

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