Whatever It Takes

Amazing, heartbreaking stories

 

The word “hero” is tossed about too loosely, in my opinion.

We certainly haven’t seen much courage and sacrifice from those in charge of our country in the past few years.

But there are heroes, genuine heroes, in your town. Many of them probably listen to your station.

And their stories — the stories they are living every day now — are meant to be shared, and there’s no reason your station can’t do it.

This is a spot about cancer and those that care for patients with cancer. Death visits every day.

We have all lost people we love because of cancer. No family is exempt.

Shannon’s mother, Betty, died of lung cancer.

At one point while I was sitting with her, she got that desperate look in her eyes, the one you see with the woman in this spot gasping for air.

I did exactly what that nurse did. It’s instinctive, I think. I held her hand. I locked my eyes with hers, and I told her we were there with her. She was not alone.

Today, too many people are forced to die alone because of Covid-19. We hear about this almost every day in reports from hospitals all over our land.

As often as they can, nurses hold their hands, call their families on their own personal cell phones so they can say a few words as their loved one passes away.

Can you imagine the emotional toll it takes on anyone who does that multiple times every day, and has for the past year?

I can.

Whether cancer or Covid, we are overwhelmed by the dying right now. But we can do our part.

Please. Please! Wear a mask. Stay socially distanced. Follow all the health guidelines we get from medical experts.

This isn’t, and never should have been, a political issue.

This is a human issue.

Show your humanity. Honor the doctors and nurses inside our hospitals who are holding the hands of those we love as they die today, and will walk back in and do it again tomorrow.

That is courage. These are heroes.