Many survivors of the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 have spent the last decade struggling to deal with grief and trauma, but some chose to channel it into helping others.
In a new documentary to be shown on Sky One this evening, Sky News has spoken to survivors who have set up charities in memory of some of the 230,000 people who died.
Kim and Tristan Peatfield were staying on the south coast of Sri Lanka, in Tangalle, with their five-year-old daughter Isabella when the tsunami hit their hotel bungalow.
Tristan was washed away and Kim was left holding Isabella.
"I think I must have been knocked out and I guess that's when I let her go - because I don't remember letting her go. I would never, never have let her go," she said.
Isabella was later found dead.
Despite their grief, the couple returned to Sri Lanka a few weeks after Isabella's funeral and set up a charity in her name to help Sri Lankan children.
"Anybody who was there would know children there lost everything, they didn't just lose a sibling or a parent or grandparents or a roof over their head - they lost everything," Kim said.
The charity is still going ten years later. In that time they have helped to rebuild Tangalle Children's Hospital and built 10 playgrounds, among other projects.
"It came out of love, not wanting to let her die, and that's what sustained us, that's what keeps the charity going," the Peatfields said.
Luke Simon works full-time on the charity that he set up after the Boxing Day tragedy.
When the wave hit he was staying with his brother Piers and three friends on the island of Phi Phi in southern Thailand.
Phi Phi was hit from both sides simultaneously - and the thin strip of land in between was engulfed.
"The sea beyond was just boiling up in front of me," Luke said.
"The tsunami turned Phi Phi into canals - the little alleyways became two and a half metres of water filled with debris - a lot of people who lost their lives, they didn't drown, they were just hit by debris."
Piers was trapped under the water as he tried to push another friend to safety. It took five days for Luke to find his body.
Luke launched the charity - the Piers Simon Appeal - at his brother's memorial service and two weeks after the tsunami he was back in Phi Phi with £10,000 to help local people.
"The charity really came about because we had received so much goodness from Thai people who helped me to find Piers," he said.
Ten years on, and the charity has now become School In A Bag, which sends schoolbags to children affected by the disaster.
"It was born out of a natural disaster - the sad circumstances of losing my brother. I always wanted to be able to help disaster-affected children, mainly because of the experience that I had picked up in the tsunami," Luke said.
"I still feel like Piers is with me now - I feel as though he's tagging along with me, except he's the reason we are doing it."
:: A special documentary Tsunami: Ten Years After The Wave can be seen on the Sky News Catch Up service.
:: If you have been affected by any of the issues in the show, the following helplines can offer help and support:
Samaritans - anyone struggling to cope can talk to Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.
Mind - for mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress, call the confidential information and support line on 0300 123 3393 (charged as a local rate call) open from 9am - 6pm Monday - Friday.
Cruse Bereavement Care - promotes the well-being of bereaved people and enables people to understand grief and cope with their loss - national helpline on 08444 779 400.
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