Today, I am thankful for unsung heroes.
Caring for the sick is never easy, but I think it’s even tougher to do when one cares for the young. The pediatricians, pediatric nurses, and other pediatric medical personnel who care for our ailing infants, children, and adolescents are true godsends. They often witness the worse of human suffering – conditions like pediatric cancers, untreatable genetic diseases, and child abuse. Even worse, they endure the intangibles, like the inevitable 2-year old sneeze in one’s face, the 4-year old kick to one’s nether regions following a vaccine shot, and the understandable distraught of thousands of worried parents. Yes, these pediatric caregivers are the true heroes.
But, there are others. Like the academic and industry researchers who study rare pediatric conditions, the school nurses who deal with bullying, or the emergency personnel who respond to pediatric emergencies.
A historic event took place on this day 95 years ago that got me seriously pondering about these heroes. In the winter of 1925, a near-tragic circumstance was averted by an unusual set of heroes. At that time, The New York Times publicly spotlighted the saga of the remote, snowed-in town of Nome, Alaska, which had been stricken by an epidemic of diphtheria. The closest supplier of antitoxin was based at the end of the Alaskan railroad, in the town of Nenana, a distant cry from Nome. Following a desperate telegram plea from the local physician, Alaskan authorities secured the support of a chain of dogsled mushers to transfer diphtheria antitoxin the 674 miles across the rugged, snowy terrain from Nenana to Nome. Fortunately, the antitoxin arrived in time on this day (Feb 2). Following its thawing, the antidote was distributed to the needy Nome inhabitants. Today, this success story is commemorated with the annual running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 47-year old event that is held each March. A movie of the lead dog, Balto, and a statue of this famous canine in New York‘s Central Park are further tributes to this amazing achievement.
So, today, take a moment to thank those unsung heroes in your life. You don’t have to be Superman to appreciate what they do.
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