Uncommon Heroism

[tellner]

Who are your heroes? Not the brave warrior who laughs at death and kills lots of people, maybe getting killed himself. Who has courage that breaks your heart and the lifts it up by showing you a little of what the inspired human soul is capable of?

For your consideration I present Dr. Catherine Hamlin. She and her husband left lucrative medical practices to work among the meanest and most forgotten. In the Horn of Africa it's not uncommon for older men to marry not young women but little girls. When they give birth they are often unattended. The survivors are often torn apart by the event and left with the condition nearly unknown in the West - recto-vaginal fistula. Look it up. I'd rather not talk too much about it.

They're abandoned by their husbands. Their families turn their backs on them. They have no resources, no support and no way of making a living. Even the oldest profession is closed to them. The Hamlins were in Ethiopia and saw this. They never went back. Since her husband's death Dr. Hamlin has set up a number of hospitals to treat these girls for free. Those who can be repaired are. Those who can not are given help setting up lives for themselves in a community of similarly affected women.

To risk your life requires courage. To devote yourself whole-heartedly to endless labor for the sake of good like this requires moral courage of a different order.

So who are some of your heroes?

 

[tradrockrat]

every teacher in the world (except me - that would just be ego talking... )


Seriously, there are too many heroes out there that never get the attention they deserve, but they keep doing whatever it is they do because it needs to be done.

My personal heroes - people I know - would be my parents and 2 of my siblings for opposite sides of the same coin. My sister is autistic and my adopted brother is a hodgepodge (sp?) of special needs. My parents made sure they have a great life, and they both live life to the fullest everyday despite their obstacles.

I could go on for hours about them all.

 

[Steel Tiger]

My personal hero is not someone who put their lives on the line but was a hard worker and, ultimately, a progenitor of something. Sir William Matthew Flinders-Petrie was an archaeologist. He may have been the first real archaeologist. He was the first to use seriation in examining a site. He said,

"I believe the true line of research lies in the noting and comparison of the smallest details."

He was the mentor to Howard Carter (he who found Tutankhamun's tomb) and is considered the father of both Palestinian and Egyptian archaeology. He was a very cool guy.

Incidently, it was a decendant of his, Matthew Flinders, who first circumnavigated Australia.

 

[Kacey]

Who are your heroes? Not the brave warrior who laughs at death and kills lots of people, maybe getting killed himself. Who has courage that breaks your heart and the lifts it up by showing you a little of what the inspired human soul is capable of?

Members of the armed forces

LEOs, firefighters, and other emergency personnel

People who spend time in the Peace Corp

Blood donors

Teachers (I agree with tradrockrat - being a teacher myself - all teachers but me!)

I could go on... but you get the idea. People who commit some part of their lives to making others' lives a little better. Certainly, those who commit some or all of their lives to make a big difference, like the one above, are clearly heroes - but I most admire those who make small differences, and, by the example they set, encourage others to do the same; they may not make as big a difference for a particular group, but they make a small difference for a larger group, for both their actions and their example.

 

[Steel Tiger]

I just thought about this. Though not people, I have always had great admiration for the Emperor penguins. They epitomise strength in the face of adversity, fortitude, and determination.

 

[Sukerkin]

It's a very good thread. Tellner and I applaud the sentiment completely :rei:. The example you give is an excellent one too.

Sadly, I think probably the greatest heroes are the ones we never hear about because they are entirely 'unsung'.

One story I do remember, vividly, that I think is inspiring of how one persons courage uplifts everyone was one my grandfather told me when I was (overly)fascinated by his medals from WWII.

He told me that they didn't mean anything and that the bravest man he ever saw was someone he never knew who was huddled in the sand with him at Dunkirk.

German planes were straffing the beaches whenever they could get away from the RAF and this chap saw one heading right for the dip where my granddad and his platoon (and him) were hiding. He never said a word but got up, sprinted aways off to one side and waved his arms in the air. Kneeling bold as brass in plain sight, he put his Lee Enfield to his shoulder and began firing at the plane. The plane focussed on him and he didn't win .

The point of the tale? That one mans bravery probably saved everyone else in that dune-pit but also got them so riled up that they all started firing at every plane that came close i.e. they stopped being 'targets' and went back to being 'soldiers'.

My grandad finished the story by telling me "If you're going to die anyway, do it with diginity and courage, doing something that helps someone else. That's the best advice anyone can ever give you.". My memory of his exact words is suspect after nearly forty years but the principle has stuck with me and that's what's important (just goes to show that you don't forget everything your elders tell you ).

To be honest, it doesn't even matter to me if he made the story up to deflect me from digging at things he'd rather not talk about but I have a feeling it was true.

 

[HKphooey]

I have a coworker whose wife has battle cancer for the past 4 years. First breast cancer, had fought it and won. Then she had it in her thyroid. Again she beat it. Kow she is fighting bone cancer. He is always upbeat. He talks about the cancer like it is just another of life's challenges. Both continue to life life to the fullest. They are truly in love - with each other and life! My wife had a scare with cancer and I freaked. My coworker told me to take a breath and think . He said you need to be there for her -Stong, not afraid. He said worry about the worst when it has come and gone. My wife's cancer was benign (sp?). I then had a scare, myself. He again told me stories about his wife's battles and how she still does everything like it is her last day. They are involved in every cancer cause out there. A true inspiration.

He had only cried once in front of me. He said he needed to, just once, and then would never again. He then told me to do everyhting I wanted to in life. That is when I finally decided to live a life-long dream and buy a house in the woods of Vermont. He knows he will soon lose his wife. Doctors say it is only months. They have said that a few times. He told me he has no regrets. He had loved her like her life depended on it - because it does.

Remember to tell anyone that means anyhting to you, how much they mean to you!

I learned so much from my co-worker! He is my hero!

 

[Sukerkin]

I follow that excellent advice everyday, HK (except, in stunnng illogicality, for my father who I fear we are going to lose soon and am avoiding seeing because of that (we need a smiley for 'coward' here)).

That is a deeply moving account you gave and is a testiment to certain aspects of the human spirit that we can all be proud of :tup:.

 

[HKphooey]

I follow that excellent advice everyday, HK (except, in stunnng illogicality, for my father who I fear we are going to lose soon and am avoiding seeing because of that (we need a smiley for 'coward' here)).

That is a deeply moving account you gave and is a testiment to certain aspects of the human spirit that we can all be proud of :tup:.

My prayers will be with you.:asian:

 

[tellner]

I have a coworker whose wife has battle cancer for the past 4 years. First breast cancer, had fought it and won. Then she had it in her thyroid. Again she beat it. Kow she is fighting bone cancer. He is always upbeat. He talks about the cancer like it is just another of life's challenges. Both continue to life life to the fullest. They are truly in love - with each other and life!

He had only cried once in front of me. He said he needed to, just once, and then would never again. He then told me to do everyhting I wanted to in life. That is when I finally decided to live a life-long dream and buy a house in the woods of Vermont. He knows he will soon lose his wife. Doctors say it is only months. They have said that a few times. He told me he has no regrets. He had loved her like her life depended on it - because it does.

I learned so much from my co-worker! He is my hero!

May G-d give them strength. They are an inspiration to us all. I only pray that I will face the end with half that courage.

Sukerkin, I know others have said this, but please see him as much as you can. It will be hard. It will be painful. You will never regret doing it, but you will regret to your dying day not doing it. You are in our prayers.

 

[Sukerkin]

Thank you chaps very much for your good and wise words - be assured that that they were not wasted for I shall take them to heart and act on them.

 

[Lisa]

My hero ties in with Sukerin's problem with his Dad.

My Dad recently fought a long battle and was in ICU for 3 1/2 months until he could not fight any longer and needed to rest.

He was a brave man and for many months he kept a brave face for all of us trying his best to get better. It just ended up that the odds were stacked too far against him and in the end, he had to go.

As much as the memories of him being in the hospital suffering as he did still haunt me, I would not trade that time for anything. When he passed he was surrounded by those that loved him and he knew it was alright for him to go.

Sukerin, I can't tell you what to do, but as others have said, don't let what little time you have left be wasted.

 

[Carol]

Who are your heroes? Not the brave warrior who laughs at death and kills lots of people, maybe getting killed himself. Who has courage that breaks your heart and the lifts it up by showing you a little of what the inspired human soul is capable of?

For your consideration I present Dr. Catherine Hamlin. She and her husband left lucrative medical practices to work among the meanest and most forgotten. In the Horn of Africa it's not uncommon for older men to marry not young women but little girls. When they give birth they are often unattended. The survivors are often torn apart by the event and left with the condition nearly unknown in the West - recto-vaginal fistula. Look it up. I'd rather not talk too much about it.

They're abandoned by their husbands. Their families turn their backs on them. They have no resources, no support and no way of making a living. Even the oldest profession is closed to them. The Hamlins were in Ethiopia and saw this. They never went back. Since her husband's death Dr. Hamlin has set up a number of hospitals to treat these girls for free. Those who can be repaired are. Those who can not are given help setting up lives for themselves in a community of similarly affected women.

To risk your life requires courage. To devote yourself whole-heartedly to endless labor for the sake of good like this requires moral courage of a different order.

So who are some of your heroes?

The main reason why I haven't personally responded to this is because I looked up fistula and was left speechless by what I read. I don't wish the thread to become a discussion of the condition so I'll leave it by saying its perhaps the most devastaing childbirth injury of all. The woman typically loses the baby in birth and is left with an injury that leaves her in a constant state of incontinence. In a hot climate where water is scare and sanitary facilities can be nil, it sentences these women to a living hell.

Fistula is a preventable condition but an overal lack of education, lack of health care, and even contrary local customs spur the reoccurence of it.

To read that Dr. Hamlin was airlifted from Ethiopia due to a lfe-threatning blood infection was devastating. May G-d bless her and those that keep her dream alive.

www.fistulafoundation.org