What health problems does Kathy have in 2008?

She loses her memory and can't speak.

It is autumn of 2008. Kathy is afflicted by memory loss that somewhat resembles Alzheimer’s disease. The Zeitouns have gutted and rebuilt their home on Dart Street, although their office could not be salvaged.

The narrative returns to 2005. After Zeitoun’s release from prison, the family moves to one of their rental apartments that survived the storm. When Kathy and Zeitoun first check on their house, Zeitoun is devastated––both by the condition of the house and by the fact that his neighbors’ dogs have starved to death while he was in prison. One day in December, FEMA contacted the Zeitouns to offer them a free trailer. However, they were unable to use the trailer because FEMA did not leave them a key, and installed it in such a way that it was unsafe to enter.

Kathy and Zeitoun buy the houses on either side of their home on Dart Street. They use one lot to build an addition to their house, and try to sell the other. However, the unusable FEMA trailer remains on the lot they are trying to sell. It is an eyesore and decreases the value of the property, so Kathy tries to convince FEMA to come pick it up. Her efforts are in vain, though, and it is only taken away in April 2007, after a scathing letter from Kathy concerning the trailer appears in The New Orleans Times-Picayune.

In addition to memory loss, Kathy begins to suffer stomach pain when she tries to eat. Her doctor diagnoses her with post-traumatic stress syndrome. In November of 2006, the Zeitouns welcome baby Ahmad into their lives, named after his uncle - Zeitoun's brother.