The Hands of Nancy F
It’s always fascinated me to read or hear stories of heroic actions. They can pull a visceral reaction from me like the heroism of the first responders on 9/11 or touch me deeply like the quiet fortitude and compassion of Mother Theresa. Most of us go through our lives personally untouched by events of this magnitude. But I have been blessed to know an Everyday Hero.
Family is at the core of my life and the foundation of my Everyday Hero. One of the most rewarding family relationships that I have is with my sister, Nancy. She is much younger than me, though the age difference has shrunk since we’re well into adulthood. When I left home, she was 10 years old. I lived half a country away, so our sister-bond stagnated with her as a child and me as a young adult. I became busy with my own life and only kept up with her through my mom. After she graduated from college, Nancy reached out to me and laid the foundation of a relationship that I treasure immensely. And I’m not the only sibling she did this with.
I also have seen her commitment to family and to her friends in how she has been there to support others with, not only her time, but with her resources. She has opened up her home to our brother after a painful divorce, giving him time to assess his life and determine his future path. Our niece stayed with her for half a year as she tried to find work. She takes Mom on vacations she wouldn’t be able to do on her own and keeps in contact with her to make sure she’s doing well.
Nancy is concerned when health issues hit those she cares about, and will help, not only in their care, but with hours of research so she can help them make knowledgeable decisions about their care. Our younger brother became ill years ago and he wouldn’t go to the doctor because he had no insurance. She spent hours looking at what benefits he had as a veteran, and got him in to see doctors at the VA where he was diagnosed and treated for a chronic illness. When my uncle was hospitalized, and then moved to a nursing home, she visited daily. She advocated strongly when he was given substandard borderline inhumane care. When my mom became ill last year, she arranged for others to get her to the hospital quickly and drove the hour and a half to her bedside immediately. When she wasn’t getting better after being sent home, Nancy took her to another hospital where she had emergency surgery that saved my mom’s life. She took a college friend to the Mayo Clinic multiple times to try to help find a diagnosis for health issues that seemed to stump her current doctors.
These are just a few examples why Nancy is such an exceptional part of our family. I know she doesn’t feel that what she does is out of the ordinary, but to us, she’s an Everyday Hero.
Cathy M
