On Sunday our local FAAN group held a "Strike out Food Allergies" Bowling fundraising event. I unfortunately was not able to attend, since I was chasing the shinning Tiffany Necklace at the Nike Women's Marathon, and learning a life lesson about true heroism. It was apparently a day about all sorts of heroes, as the fundraiser had a guest speaker, Brian Hom Sr. who spoke about losing his son to an anaphalytic reaction to peanuts.
An article about Brian Hom's death is here.
I was not present, and did not hear Brian Hom Sr. speak in person, but his family's story touched me deeper then any other I have come upon to date. Perhaps it is because it is a family that is local to my area, or perhaps it is because friends of mine met him, spoke to him, and heard him speak.
Somehow, this makes real to me, what in some ways had previously been an abstraction. Sure Conor had a serious reaction a few years ago, and I know he could die from eating a peanut, but I think part of me likes to live in denial of what really could happen. If a real person in a local town was struck by this sort of tragedy, it could happen to anyone including us.
I want to say thank you to the Hom family for sharing their story. Their message, while devastating to deliver, will help save countless lives.
The past weekend has been a time where I have been surrounded by people who have reminded me that sometimes, life is frustrating, unfair, and unthinkably painful. But it has also been a time that has reminded me about the people who have faced these horrors, and moved forwards anyways, fighting an enemy bigger then they knew they could. Their strength and courage is what makes me understand what true heroes are.
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