Introduction to A True Hero

As a kid, I had the usual heroes for a boy of my time from Pittsburgh: Roberto Clemente, The Steelers, and so on. I Identified with them and felt strong when they did well. But as I got older, I recognized the superficiality of these Sports heroes, and in fact, of most of the other heroes in our society.

It wasn't until coming to Sheltering Arms that I discovered substantial heroism and substantial heroes...what I now know is the highest and greatest expression of humanity...something so inspirational and energizing, so remarkable and worthy of emulation and praise, that whenever any of us face challenges, we can use these heroes as our models.

These heroes are people who, despite having their lives so disrupted, their abilities so reduced, who despite having incredible challenges and demands foisted upon them, still responded with an indomitable, irrepressible refusal to resign... These are heroes because they show the greatest characteristics of life and humanity...The ability to meet formidable challenges and stresses and persist to change what would otherwise be a depressing destiny.

And so it is with this tribute, I introduce our guest hero, who having graduated as a patient who is actualizing a tremendous continuing victory over a persistent onslaught of multiple physical and neurologic challenges, returned to us as a volunteer therapist to provide generous and invaluable patient services that are really making a remarkable difference in the lives of patients who were not deemed to have reasonable chances of improving, and through her tremendous personality, transformed the science of therapy into an art, and whose spirit of dedication to helping others is consistent with the tradition of Sheltering Arms....I introduce our guest hero and guest speaker, Ms Peggy Rash.

MFM