Although we knew it was coming, it doesn’t lessen the sadness. He was a great man who touched many, and his passing creates a hole that will be hard to fill, on so many levels.
The Globe has some great articles and retrospectives on his life and legacy that you can access here, and I’ve put a link at the end of this post to my own reflections on the man and how he touched my life that I had posted back when I had first heard of his illness.
It’s been a tough time for his family, with both he and his sister Eunice passing so closely, and while this is a newsworthy and historical moment, I hope everyone gives them the respect and privacy they deserve. Please join me in sending out your prayers for both the Senator and his family.
From Tuesday, May 20, 2008: Our Thoughts and Prayers
Showing posts with label Ted Kennedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ted Kennedy. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Our Thoughts and Prayers
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Senator Ted Kennedy and his family. He is a great man who has done many great things for our country, most notably fighting for the disabled and the uninsured. I've always admired him, and he's left an indelible mark on my life and my family.
When I was 10, my family was his guest at the Capitol. We were in D.C. visiting relatives and my Dad had called and made an appointment for us to visit with him. It wasn't long after his plane crash, and Ted was still on crutches and obviously in pain, but he took time to show us around the Capitol, and made a point to let us know that as his constituents we were always welcome to visit.
He took us into the Senate chambers and explained the proceedings to us as we watched. He made a huge impression on me as he told me how things worked and how important the work being done there was. It was a truly remarkable experience for me.
He influenced my wife in much the same way. She interviewed him as a teen reporter on the show "For Kids Only" on WBZ-TV with Bruce Schwoegler, and he made a lasting impression, sparking her interest in politics and government.
Later in life, when I was a reckless teen, Ted affected my life in a much larger way. I had been in a car accident out of state and suffered massive internal injuries. Truth be told, there wasn't a lot of hope for me.
I had graduated from high school, so I had come off of my father's insurance, but I wasn't gainfully employed and had no insurance of my own. My parents had gotten me flown back home in hopes of getting me into one of the major hospitals here in Boston, but with no insurance, that just wasn't happening. I ended up in New England Memorial in Stoneham, and within a couple of days the doctors there told my parents that there wasn't anything more they could do for me.
A friend of the family called Ted's office and explained the situation, and that same afternoon the State Police came and escorted me to the New England Baptist Hospital and delivered me into the care of one of the most amazing and talented liver surgeons in the country, Dr. Kenneth Warren. The rest, as they say, is history.
Without Ted's intervention, I wouldn't have made it. Children, grandchildren, none of that would have happened.
And who was I?
Just some constituent.
God bless you and your family Senator Kennedy. We know you'll fight the good fight, and we know you have the will and determination to beat this.
When I was 10, my family was his guest at the Capitol. We were in D.C. visiting relatives and my Dad had called and made an appointment for us to visit with him. It wasn't long after his plane crash, and Ted was still on crutches and obviously in pain, but he took time to show us around the Capitol, and made a point to let us know that as his constituents we were always welcome to visit.
He took us into the Senate chambers and explained the proceedings to us as we watched. He made a huge impression on me as he told me how things worked and how important the work being done there was. It was a truly remarkable experience for me.
He influenced my wife in much the same way. She interviewed him as a teen reporter on the show "For Kids Only" on WBZ-TV with Bruce Schwoegler, and he made a lasting impression, sparking her interest in politics and government.
Later in life, when I was a reckless teen, Ted affected my life in a much larger way. I had been in a car accident out of state and suffered massive internal injuries. Truth be told, there wasn't a lot of hope for me.
I had graduated from high school, so I had come off of my father's insurance, but I wasn't gainfully employed and had no insurance of my own. My parents had gotten me flown back home in hopes of getting me into one of the major hospitals here in Boston, but with no insurance, that just wasn't happening. I ended up in New England Memorial in Stoneham, and within a couple of days the doctors there told my parents that there wasn't anything more they could do for me.
A friend of the family called Ted's office and explained the situation, and that same afternoon the State Police came and escorted me to the New England Baptist Hospital and delivered me into the care of one of the most amazing and talented liver surgeons in the country, Dr. Kenneth Warren. The rest, as they say, is history.
Without Ted's intervention, I wouldn't have made it. Children, grandchildren, none of that would have happened.
And who was I?
Just some constituent.
God bless you and your family Senator Kennedy. We know you'll fight the good fight, and we know you have the will and determination to beat this.
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