Rebuilding After the Tsunami

Nate Berkus, who has helped dozens of guests on the show decorate their homes, was vacationing in Sri Lanka with his partner, photographer Fernando Bengoechea, when the tsunami hit. As the currents swirled around the two, they tried to keep their heads above water. They were separated and reunited in the mayhem. When they both grabbed and held onto a telephone pole and to each other, the water calmed. "And then all of a sudden we felt the water surge again and [Fernando] looked at me and said, 'It's not over,'" says Nate. "And I felt his hand on the back of my shirt and I felt his hand slip away...And then I was drowning again."

Nate lost Fernando in the tsunami, but visited The Oprah Show to share his story and introduce us to a "band of brothers," a network of other survivors who helped him through the ordeal.