Paging Dr. Husker

Nov19

A few years ago, photojournalist Dave Hynek and I chronicled an AMAZING story about a father, donating a kidney to his young son. We followed their journey from start to finish, including in the moments leading up to the transplant. We interviewed a very brave Dad as his anesthesiologist inserted his IVs to prepare him for sedation.

You’d think I would’ve learned…

I don’t handle needles well. Like, I pass out when I see one. (Really. It’s not embarrassing AT ALL.)

So here I am, in the surgery preparation area of the Nebraska Medical Center, getting more and more lightheaded, trying to conduct an interview.

Right at the moment I feared I was going to lose my breakfast or crash head first into the floor, I STOOD UP AND LEFT THE ROOM MID-INTERVIEW. Dave finished it for me. Apparently, it was pretty obvious I was having ‘problems’. Dave came out of the area laughing, and noted that the anesthesiologist had noticed, too.

‘You know who that was, right?’ Dave asked me.

DR. ROB ZATECHKA. As in Husker legend turned doctor Rob Zatechka.

REALLY. Not embarrassing AT ALL.

Clearly, I was not destined for a career in medicine, but a lot of Huskers have been. ‘Dr. Rob’, Judd Davies, Sean Fisher… and now..

Dr. Mike Stuntz, Nebraska Free Safety (photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics!)

#16 permanently sealed his place in Nebraska Football history as a freshman, taking part in one of the most memorable plays in recent years. Nebraska versus Oklahoma in 2001, a key game in Nebraska’s journey to the national title game and Eric Crouch’s to the Heisman trophy. Out of nowhere in the 4th quarter, Crouch tosses the ball to Thunder Collins, who tosses the ball to Stuntz. Stuntz, just 18, delivers a rocket to Crouch downfield, who runs for a 63-yard touchdown. Nebraska beats the #2 team in the country, 20-10.

“I can’t think of one [play] that meant more to our team that I contributed to. I can’t think of one that people talk about with me more often than that one,” Stuntz told me in a recent interview. “We started practicing it early in the week. I knew about it, even starting that Monday, I think. We ran it throughout the week and it never really worked that well in practice. During the game, they told me even in the first half they were think about running it. Whey they finally called it, I was a little surprised, it was so late in the game and the game was so close.”

During what many might consider a nerve-rattling moment, Stuntz just ‘played the way he’d always played’.

“It’s almost one of those ‘ignorance is bliss’ things,” said Stuntz. “I didn’t really realize just how much people cared about Nebraska football, college football in general, how big of a game it was. You’re just kind of oblivious to all that when you’re 18 years old.”

You want to talk nerves, imagine this: HOLDING YOUR NEWBORN DAUGHTER FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Dads, do you remember that moment? Mike Stuntz does; it just happened a month ago when he and wife Natalie welcomed their first child, Blakely Autumn.

“I knew what I was doing on that play, I played football all the time. I’d never been a dad before,” said Stuntz. “So that was, definitely, without a question, more nerve wracking, the first time I saw Blakely.”

“He did use the football hold, though!” added Natalie with a smile.

Stuntz doesn’t just know football, he was pretty darn good at it. An incredibly versatile player, Stuntz saw time at free safety, split end, and reserve quarterback at Nebraska. Off the field, Stuntz also excelled in the classroom, a 9-time Academic Honor Roll member in the Big 12 and a 2005 First-Team Academic All-Big 12 student. His college major also attracted attention; Stuntz earned his degree in professional golf management.

This photo shows Stuntz golfing Lilongwe Golf Club in Malawi in 2011, his former career colliding with new. See, Stuntz told me he loved golf, but didn’t know if he had passion to pursue it for 40+ years. He discovered a new passion: medicine.

Natalie Stuntz is also a doctor, a pediatrician with CHI Health. Mike is in his first year of residency at the Nebraska Medical Center, specializing in ophthalmology. The two didn’t meet in medical circles, but certainly have A LOT in common professionally now, including the summer they spent together in Africa working at a Pediatric AIDS hospital.

They even found a Husker fan, thousands of miles away!

THAT is pretty normal for Dr. Mike Stuntz, still recognized nine years after hanging up his cleats, 13 years after that legendary play.

“I’ll be in the hospital or in the clinic or something like that, and it’ll be a patient and they’ll just say ‘aren’t you that guy?'” said Stuntz. “It happens much more often than I thought it would. I always enjoy talking about it.”

ESPECIALLY with his biggest fan. Miss Blakey is also his smallest.

“I come downstairs, and whether she’s awake or not she comes with me. We sit on the couch right here, we turn on the TV and we don’t move for the next 12 hours or so,” said Stuntz. “I’m pretty sure she’s very engrossed in the games, and then afterwards we have a nice group discussion about it. Her input is limited, but it’s growing.”

Stuntz’s message for today’s players is about the bigger world outside of football. Even when he bumps into his former teammates Dr. Judd Davies or Dr. Kyle Ringenberg, they talk about research and their goals in the hospital now, not what they used to be on the field.

And when Dr. Stuntz, Dr. Stuntz, and Lil Stuntz are at home, the focus is on family.

“I want to be Mom and Dad,” said Natalie. “When we’re at home, we leave work. We’re Mom and Dad, Mike and Natalie, and I want that for her.”

And when that little beauty opens up her gorgeous blue eyes to gaze up at her mom and dad, it’s easy to see why.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON MIKE STUNTZ!

For more on #16 Mike Stuntz check out his bio with Nebraska Athletics.

***

Click here to Throwback to the Class of 2003, Brett Lindstrom!

Next week, A SPECIAL FINALE of the 2014 Throwback Thursday Series, Coach Milt Tenopir!

Saving Baby Lawrence

Nov16

There are few things more innocent, more perfect, more beautiful, than watching a baby turn because they recognize the sound of their parent’s voice. Thinking back on those moments with my own boys brings me to tears. I remember seeing their first smiles, and knowing they were smiling at me, their momma.

The first time I met Baby Lawrence, that’s what I remember most. He only had eyes for his mom.

Shalina and Lawrence

We get Facebook messages, tweets, and emails everyday from viewers asking us to do stories. THANK YOU for that! YOU are the eyes and ears of our community, YOU are who help us tell stories. I wish we could tell them all.

I don’t know how many messages I got that day last March, but there was SOMETHING about Shalina Bolden’s message to me that pulled at my heart. A mother, writing to me from her son’s room at Children’s, where he had been for MONTHS. Her son was very sick with a very rare disease; she needed help.

#CantStopWontStop

She had that phrase EVERYWHERE across her Facebook page.

#CantStopWontStop

Shalina Bolden would not quit fighting until her son was living a healthy, happy life.

#CantStopWontStop

***

Lawrence and my son, Evan, are less than two months apart in age. As any mom does, I couldn’t help but compare the two. First, BABY LAWRENCE IS A BIG BOY!! I think during that first visit, Shalina told me she was buying 2T t-shirts for Lawrence’s 1st birthday outfit. He was also popping four teeth at the time and was a drooling machine! But while my little Evan was scooting around and playing with toys (mostly his brother’s), Baby Lawrence was stuck in his hospital bed. The same hospital bed he had been in for FIVE MONTHS. Lawrence was born with complete Di’George Syndrome, possibly the first child in Nebraska to have it. Lawrence had lung issues, a heart defect and NO IMMUNE SYSTEM. To even see him, my photographer Dave Hynek and I, as well as Children’s Media Relations Director Cherie Lytle, had to scrub our hands and gown up top to bottom, (including our faces, hair and shoes), before entering Lawrence’s room. A simple cold that our bodies could fight off, could’ve killed Lawrence.

FIVE MONTHS. He’d been in that bed FOR FIVE MONTHS. That’s all I kept thinking about. He hadn’t been to a park. He hadn’t been in a stroller. He couldn’t just crawl around his living room floor playing with blocks and Hot Wheels. He’d been in a hospital room for five months.

That got to me, and what almost brought me to tears was thinking about the time he spent in that room alone. Shalina worked full time at a nursing home. She often went straight to Lawrence’s bedside after her shift, and her young daughters knew Children’s like a second home. Still, I kept thinking of those hours she couldn’t be there, and of Lawrence, alone in his hospital bed.

“I just want Lawrence to have a chance at life,” Shalina told me that day, through tears. “To understand what it’s like to not be in a hospital bed.”

Shalina got word of a procedure that offered hope; a thymus transplant only being performed by one doctor at Duke University, and it was not federally approved. At the time Shalina contacted me, the state of Nebraska had denied the family’s request, twice, to cover a thymus transplant. Doctors told Shalina Bolden that Lawrence might live to see his second birthday.

#CantStopWontStop

***

Our first story aired March 30, 2014.

Baby Lawrence, wearing a onesie reading ‘Bananas for Mommy’, stole viewers’ hearts around the country (ABC News also picked up his story.) Changes were already in the works; after our interview with Shalina we learned the state set aside earlier coverage denials. Advocates with the state of Nebraska, Duke University Medical Center including Dr. Louise Markert, and Lawrence’s team at Children’s, all joined forces to figure out a solution.

#CantStopWontStop

***

April 14, 2014, I was sitting at my desk in the Newsplex and took a phone call.

It was Shalina Bolden, in tears. Nebraska Medicaid approved Lawrence’s transplant. Photographer John Matya and I were there as Shalina told her family, friends and the nurses who had cared for her baby for so many months, that Baby Lawrence was finally getting his surgery. He had just turned 1 year old a few days earlier.

baby lawrence birthday

“It took a couple of minutes for it to digest and then tears just fell down my face,” Shalina told me.

At that point, Lawrence was third on the transplant list. He had to be healthy enough to fly to Duke; he had to be healthy enough for surgery.

Shalina had to leave her job.. and her two daughters. She had to find someone to take care of her little girls, while she took care of her little boy in a strange place far from home.

What Shalina thought would be eight weeks turned into nearly four months, waiting for that bittersweet moment when she’d leave her children to give her baby boy a chance at life.

baby lawrence july

#CantStopWontStop

***

August 19, 2014, Baby Lawrence, at just 16-months old, took his first jet ride.

“We landed and Lawrence slept through the whole flight and everything,” Shalina messaged me.

More waiting. Lawrence stood for the first time on September 18th..

He started to learn how to crawl in his new hospital room..

lawrence crawling

His mom rarely left his side..

..heartbreaking for this mother of not one, but three children. While Shalina and Lawrence waited in North Carolina through August and then September, her sister cared for her daughters, Ja’Era and Ja’Lesia, 20 hours away in Omaha.

“I miss my girls like crazy. It is very hard to be away,” Shalina told me. “My oldest daughter just had a birthday, that was super hard, but I’ve explained it to them so they understand why I’m away.”

#CantStopWontStop

***

September 26, 2014.
“A pray has been answered today!” Shalina posted on Facebook. “I got confirmation that Lawrence will be getting his transplant October 9th!!! If everyone can keep him in your prayers.”

On the morning of October 9, 2014, ‘Baby Lawrence’ Bolden finally received the transplant his mom fought so hard for.

Later that same day, Shalina sent me a message.

“Everything went good, it only took an hour,” she said. “He is already back to being busy Lawrence.”

See for yourself; click here to watch KETV’s follow up featuring Baby Lawrence’s story and transplant

I cannot get ENOUGH of this little man. So many surgeries, so many needle pokes and painful procedures and long waits. And yet, he is SO SWEET! Always smiling, always big, open eyes checking out his world, and still, always looking at his momma.

shalina shirt

Author Elizabeth Stone once wrote: “Making the decision to have a child – it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ”

As a mother, you would do anything for your child. You would take on their pain so they wouldn’t feel it. You stay awake all night holding them if it gives them comfort. You would die in an instant for them.

Shalina Bolden NEVER took no for an answer to save her little boy.

#CantStopWontStop

God willing, she’ll have her little boy home and healthy, with his sisters, for the first time in a year.. just in time for Christmas.

Representing Nebraska

Nov12

We are now in Week 12 of Husker football season, and Week 12 of our Huskers Throwback Thursday series on KETV. This has been one of my favorite assignments in recent memory, strolling down memory lane with different players representing different eras of Nebraska Football. With each player, I tailor my questions to who they are and what they’re doing now, but I also have a handful of questions I ask in every interview.

What was your favorite moment as a Husker?

Do you have any advice for today’s players?

Who is your favorite Husker on this year’s team?

The vote has been nearly unanimous; Husker alumni LOVE Ameer Abdullah. Their reasons are also similar; not only is he a tremendous player (many hope a Heisman contender!), he’s a great role model and representative for the University and the Nebraska football program.

This week’s Throwback Thursday Husker echoes those sentiments, and also hopes to be thought of as a terrific representative.. in a different way.

Class of 2003, Quarterback Brett Lindstrom

Lindstrom had an unenviable job at Nebraska, playing backup to first Eric Crouch and then to Jammal Lord. You may not have seen him much on the field, but he was always ready when his Huskers needed him, including helping the team get to the title game in 2001.

“Just the experience of going to the national championship game, the Rose Bowl in 2001, was probably one of the greatest experiences I had down there,” Lindstrom told me last week in a brief interview. There’s a reason why it was relatively quick; Lindstrom’s got a jam-packed schedule as Senator-Elect, just voted into the Nebraska Legislature November 4th to represent Northwest Omaha.

Lindstrom still laughs when called ‘Senator’.

“I’m not used to that quite yet,” said Lindstrom. “Got jokes from some of my friends, laying it on pretty thick. I still just like to be called Brett.”

2014-10-24 09.35.02

It probably feels good to laugh after several tough years of campaigning. Prior to his run for the District 18 seat, Lindstrom ran for the Republican nomination for Congress in District 2, going up against incumbent Lee Terry in 2012. He lost in the primary. Less than a year later (his son, just 2-weeks old at the time!) Lindstrom announced his bid for the Legislature. In 2012, Lindstrom told me it was his daughter that compelled him to run for public office. He was concerned for her future.

Lindstrom feeding 7-month old Barron while making campaign calls (pic from the Vote Lindstrom Facebook page)

Campaigning also brought Lindstrom back to his Husker roots.

“What’s interesting about the campaign trail, going door to door, I’ve actually run into some old players,” said Lindstrom. “I don’t know who I’ll meet when I go to the door. Lornell McPherson, I played with, he came to the door. Damon Benning, he came to a door. Probably half the doors I went to had a Husker rock, a Husker flag. Obviously it doesn’t hurt when you can go up there and say, ‘I played for the Cornhuskers.’ It at least gives you a shot, people give you an extra second to listen.”

It appears voters heard Lindstrom’s message about his goals for Nebraska. (Listen for yourself in Alex Hoffman’s profile of the District 18 race, or by checking out the KETV ‘In Their Own Words’ section featuring Lindstrom.) He won the election and a ticket to Lincoln in January, one of 17 incoming freshman senators. Lindstrom will represent an estimated 37,000 people from his district.

“There’s a huge responsibility that we have moving forward,” said Lindstrom. “It’s an exciting time. It’s a new start for a lot of us and a new start for the state.”

Lindstrom follows a handful of other Huskers who have entered the political arena. Coach Tom Osborne became a Congressman, Pat Ricketts (Lindstrom’s teammate) just won re-election to the Millard School Board, and Jim Pillen became a University of Nebraska Regent. Lindstrom says he’s surprised more Huskers haven’t become elected representatives.

“I think there’s a lot of correlation between athletics and politics,” said Lindstrom. “The competitiveness of it, the perseverance it takes to go through it, getting knocked down, getting back up.”

Lindstrom’s advice for todays players: staying committed to the team will pay dividends later in life. He hopes that still holds true as a Husker alumni planning to be in Lincoln a lot more for the next four years.

“I thought maybe I could give the University a call and see if I could go use the weight room if I have a little down time at the Capitol, to go workout,” said Lindstrom. “I don’t know if the Capitol has a workout area, I doubt they do! See if I can drop my 40 and get my vertical back up!”

Maybe Lindstrom will be running sprints alongside his favorite Husker representatives, Ameer Abdullah and Kenny Bell. Maybe they’ll call him ‘Senator Lindstrom’ in the weight room. As this Nebraska representative prepares for a busy four years as a husband, dad, financial advisor and now Senator-Elect, he puts this victory in sports terms.

“It was just nice to come home with a W.”

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON BRETT LINDSTROM!

For more information about #15 Brett Lindstrom, check out his bio via Nebraska Athletics, his professional profile with UBS Financial Services or his campaign website.

***

Click here to Throwback to the Class of 1987, John McCormick!

Next week’s Throwback Thursday Husker.. the Class of 2005, Mike Stuntz!

Hail To The Chief

Nov6

One of the coolest things about this Throwback Thursday Husker series we’ve been sharing this football season is seeing how many different paths these former players have taken since leaving Lincoln. I’m not sure why I’m so surprised. Think of the people in your graduating classes from high school and college and ask yourself, where are they now? Of the 100+ players on the roster every season at Nebraska, there are bound to be any number of careers and futures these young men pursue.

Today’s featured Husker didn’t dream of or plan for the career he ended up in, but he calls it ‘great’, and has risen to one of the highest ranks in his department.

Assistant Fire Chief John McCormick (thanks to Nebraska Athletics for the photo!)

By our guess, there are seven or eight men on the Omaha Fire Department who played football at Nebraska. Ironically, the highest ranking member of that small club has kept his time as ‘Captain’ a secret at work.

“Most don’t know,” McCormick told me in a recent interview. “Most of the guys on the fire department weren’t even a twinkle in their dads’ eye when I played.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY SPECIAL ON JOHN MCCORMICK!

1987, John McCormick was in his senior season, his third year starting as Nebraska’s right guard. That year, he was named Team Co-Captain, First Team All-American, First Team All-Big 8 and an Academic All-Big 8 player. McCormick’s Huskers earned respect by playing some of the biggest names in football that season.

“Arizona State, UCLA, South Carolina, big power teams,” said McCormick. “But all the hype was usually around Oklahoma. That was always a big rivalry back then.”

Screen grab from our friend Jake Jacobsen at HuskerTapes.com; watch his clips of the 1987 NU vs OK game here!

McCormick, an Omaha native and graduate of Gross High School, is still passionate about today’s Huskers. His favorite: Nebraska’s star running back Ameer Abdullah.

“I think he’s a quality person, he has good character,” said McCormick. “And he’s a very good running back. I think he’s going to do well in his life.”

So has McCormick, who is now saving lives as an Omaha firefighter. A quick search of the KETV archives shows McCormick was one of the first responders at Molotov cocktail fires, at 2-alarm house fires, at scenes where firefighters risked their own lives to save strangers.

January 20, 2014 was no exception.

Then Battalion Chief John McCormick was one of the first firefighters to arrive at the International Nutrition plant minutes after the building collapsed, trapping workers inside.

“We had to rely on training and on our experience throughout our career to do the best we could,” said McCormick. “We were able to get a few people out. Sad that we couldn’t get everybody out.”

Two men died that day. Firefighters rescued at least nine others who were hurt, but survived. I remember anchoring our coverage that day while reporters Kyle Gravlin and Amanda Crawford reported from the field, and none of us knew how many were trapped or lost inside. We did know firefighters were inside, trying to find them, NOT knowing how stable the plant was or what could happen around them at any moment.

Just last month, seven of those firefighters were given Medals of Courage and/or Lifesaving Medals for their heroic efforts that day. At the same ceremony, Battalion Chief John McCormick was promoted to Assistant Chief.

“I consider it to be a lot like football in that it’s a team sport,” said McCormick. “It’s a team job. You need to accomplish a lot by using other people. The old cliché, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.”

And as the Huskers are hopefully gaining strength during this bye week, preparing for new Nebraska rival Wisconsin, McCormick offers this advice.

“This is such an important part of their life, but it’s only a short part of their life,” said McCormick, now a married father of eight in addition to his duties with the fire department. “Play hard, practice hard, prepare well and leave everything out on the field.”

***

Click here to Throwback to the Class of 2003, Jammal Lord!

Next week’s Throwback Thursday Husker.. the Class of 2003, Brett Lindstrom!

Comeback Kid

Oct29

I’m no sports reporter. There are days I WISH I was.. like today.. at ‘the K’… cheering on the Kansas City Royals in Game 7.. yes, this is one of those days 🙂 Yes, sports reporters get to witness some incredible moments from amazing vantage points, but they are also some of the hardest working guys in TV News. Andy Kendeigh, Thor Tripp and Matt Lothrop shoot their own material, write their own material, write their own sportscasts, and are often on set, anchoring, after working all day covering games and stories out in the field. They don’t ‘sit back and watch the game’; they are keeping track of stats, editing while the game is in progress, and thinking about how they’ll present it all. While fans watch and enjoy, sports guys (and ladies) work 20-hour days to bring those moments to the rest of the world.

They also know a RIDICULOUS amount of information about sports. I’d like to think I know the game of baseball.. I love gymnastics.. I like football a whole lot.. but I’m no sports reporter. I’m a sports reporter wannabe at best.

When I started profiling former Huskers as part of this Throwback Thursday series, I turned to our sports guys and my husband, ALSO a former sports photojournalist in TV News, to see who they wanted to hear from.

SEVERAL gave me this guy’s name.

#5, Nebraska Quarterback Jammal Lord, photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Even if you don’t know the ins and outs of this game, you can see this guy was impressive on the college football field by looking at his stats. Lord made the record books for total offense in a season and in a career. He set a record at Nebraska for a rushing quarterback in a single game and in a season. His name appears among Nebraska’s greats at the position, Eric Crouch and Tommie Frazier.

Nebraska’s last true option quarterback also marked the end of an era. As he left Nebraska at the end of 2003, so did his Head Coach Frank Solich, fired after a 9-3 season.

WHAT IF? What if they didn’t have that 7-7 season in 2002? What if there hadn’t been a coaching controversy? What if Lord, who only had 2.5 seasons on the field after a torn PCL in his knee, had gotten all four years as starting QB?

Lord tells me he has no regrets about his time as a Husker.

“No, not at all. I had fun at Nebraska,” Lord told me by phone last month. “I loved the coaches I had from Coach Solich to Coach Gill. Those guys were role models. They showed me tough love and I needed that.”

Thanks to Lord’s alma mater, Bayonne High School, for the photos

Husker nation again had high hopes for Lord as a pro player, drafted in the 6th round in 2004 by the Houston Texans. He played safety, wide receiver, cornerback, eventually retiring from pro football with the Abilene Ruff Riders of the Indoor Football League in 2007.

Lord then returned to his roots and the place where he developed his passion for football. He became a football coach at his Alma Mater, Bayonne High School in Bayonne, New Jersey. COACHING became his new passion, a role that eventually brought him back to Nebraska, coaching at Concordia High School alongside his friend, Steve Warren.

“I miss it every day, everything about football,” Lord told me. “I miss coaching, the kids, helping the kids out. Just seeing them grow.”

During those coaching days, even now, it’s hard to not miss PLAYING the game, too. Lord says his favorite game came his junior year at Texas A&M. John Oakey’s Aggies had the Huskers on the ropes in the 3rd quarter, down 31-14. Lord and Nebraska charged back and WON 38-31, at the time, tying the school record for the biggest comeback in football history. Jammal Lord was named Team Captain the following season.

“Just going out, playing hard and winning games,” said Lord. “I miss my friends, mainly.”

Today, Lord is a long way from the friends he made in Lincoln, Houston, Bayonne and Omaha; he’s working in the oil fields of North Dakota.

WHAT?!?! For anyone asking the same question I did when I heard that, a quick Google search reveals the average annual salary of an oil worker in ND is more than $110,000.

“A friend of a friend had a business here, offered me a job,” said Lord. “I said never! Then I caved in.”

It’s hard not to like this guy in talking to him on the phone. In that answer and in so many others, he laughed throughout. You could ‘hear’ his smile on other end. Jammal Lord seems like a guy who truly enjoys life, whether he’s making a comeback on the football field or anywhere else. He has a passion for life, just as he does for football.

And he still has that love for the Huskers.

“I like all of them,” he said of today’s players. “I like Ameer, he’s doing his thing right now. I like Tommy. I’m biased for the quarterback position, you know what I mean?”

What about Coach Pelini, Lord’s then Defensive Coordinator who took over head-coaching duties in Lord’s last game with Nebraska at the Alamo Bowl?

“LOVE him. Love him,” said Lord. “Just the passion, he has passion for his kids. He has passion for the game of football.”

Finally, to Husker fans who, like so many sports guys do, remember Jammal Lord and hold him as a Husker favorite, he’s got a message for you, too.

“I love you. You’re number one in my book,” said Lord. “I had fun down there. It was a great time. I love the fans, I love the stadium. GO BIG RED!”

CHECK OUT KETV’S HUSKERS THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON JAMMAL LORD!

For more on #5 Jammal Lord, check out his bio courtesy of Nebraska Athletics.

***

Click here to Throwback to the Class of 2013, CJ Zimmerer!

Next week’s Throwback Thursday Husker.. the Class of 1987, John McCormick!

More Than Words

Oct22

“Actions speak louder than words.”

A classic quote, teaching all of us to LIVE what we preach, follow through on what we promise and that we will send a message by what we DO, not just by what we say.

This week’s Throwback Thursday Husker is basically stamping that statement all over Nebraska and beyond. What’s more, you have likely seen the impact of his efforts without knowing who was behind the work.

Meet CJ Zimmerer, Nebraska Fullback, Class of 2013. (Photo courtesy of Nebraska Athletics.)

Zimmerer was the mind behind one of the most touching moments in Nebraska Football history, and is now working to make life better for kids throughout Sarpy County. Despite his efforts, his picture’s not flashed around and his name doesn’t usually make the headlines.

Zimmerer wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I don’t need any praise for anything,” Zimmerer told me in a recent interview.

You be the judge.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S HUSKER THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON #31 CJ ZIMMERER!

Photo courtesy of CJ Zimmerer and Huskers.com.. love the cameo from KETV photojournalist, Tyler White on the left!

Remember this amazing moment? Jack Hoffman, the little guy faced with a BIG fight against pediatric brain cancer, running for a touchdown at the 2013 Spring Game in front of 69,000 fans (many, including me, in tears!) The video, posted on YouTube, has been viewed more than 8.6 MILLION times and won an ESPY Award for Best Moment. Take another look and you’ll see #31 CJ Zimmerer alongside Jack the entire time, getting him ready, clearing his way to the end zone, and finally lifting up young Jack when he scores. This moment was all Zimmerer’s idea, and became what he calls ‘a whirlwind’.

“Coaches are calling me late at night, we’re calling other players, planning the whole thing, and it just turned into a huge thing,” said Zimmerer. “That’s what it’s all about.”

With worldwide attention from that incredible moment, the Team Jack Foundation raised more than a million dollars, with the goal of reaching $2 million by the end of this year. Jack caught the attention of ESPN, President Obama, and some of the biggest names in sports. Zimmerer was honored with the 2014 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Award, the FBI’s Hometown Heroes Award in 2013, and one of only 11 college football players named to the American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.

Most importantly, MORE AND MORE people are talking about the disease that has taken and impacted countless lives: pediatric brain cancer.

Zimmerer still wears his Team Jack bracelet on his right wrist. On his left, he wears a Sammy’s Superheroes bracelet for awareness of all pediatric cancers, in honor of little Sammy Nahorny in Columbus. And just as so many of us, touched by Jack Hoffman’s story, Zimmerer says he was heartbroken to hear Jack’s tumor had returned earlier this year.

“You wish you could trade places with him, but all you can do is pray, continue to raise awareness,” said Zimmerer. “The guys in Lincoln are doing a great job carrying on that legacy, and you’ve just got to hope for the best.”

Zimmerer’s great connection with kids extends beyond Jack and Sammy. Soon after graduating from Lincoln, Zimmerer became a Juvenile Probation Officer in Sarpy County. He works with kids and teenagers who are in trouble with the law, hoping to get them back on the right track.

“Really trying to work with them and their families and providers here in the community to make constructive change in their lives,” said Zimmerer. He told me once in awhile, a kid will look up in his office and see a picture of Zimmerer with his fiancé, taken while he played for the Huskers. He smiles as he describes watching that realization that yes, he played Nebraska Football.

Zimmerer also has a shared bond with these kids; he’s a Gross High graduate and grew up in the same place they did.

“I was very blessed to have great parents and I think that’s where it comes back to,” said Zimmerer. “Just taking the time to find out how your kids’ day was, to getting them involved in sports, to being there at their events or plays or Academic Decathlon, whatever the case might be. That constant support and structure, a lot of kids don’t get and it’s sad to see.”

Zimmerer might give even more kids that support, as he’s considering coaching in the future. Right now, he’s having a ‘weird’ time adjusting to his ‘armchair quarterback’ role this first year away from Memorial Stadium.

“I don’t know where to sit on the couch, or do I want to watch it at a bar or a restaurant,” said Zimmerer. “It definitely has been weird. You feel yourself coaching on the couch, ’cause you think you know everything but really, I probably don’t know anything, it’s all changed since I’ve left.”

Not everything; some of Zimmerer’s close friends are still putting in work on the field, including fullbacks Andy Janovich and Harrison Jordan.

“That’s the best thing, even the smaller schools like Andy [from Gretna] and I are from, guys don’t get as much recognition,” said Zimmerer. “But there’s a lot of smaller town guys on the team and it’s great to see them doing well. They just have that hard work attitude that some guys can’t seem to figure out.”

To those players, Zimmerer says do everything now, don’t waste any time. He looks back on his favorite moments on the field, like watching the snow fall among 100,000 fans, before he and his teammates returned a kick for a touchdown against Penn State.

“That’s what you dream about growing up. Going to big games like that and being in that situation,” said Zimmerer. “Everything you do is important, on and off the field. It’s never too early to realize that.”

Zimmerer continues to live that message; that everything we do is important. And maybe THAT is the key to happiness for all of us. Zimmerer told us, he’s enjoying every minute of his new job, in his hometown, planning for his wedding to fiancé Kim Wees next summer.

Zimmerer said in our interview he doesn’t need praise for anything. Again, I’ll let you decide for yourself, and I’ll leave you with another classic quote:

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

To read more about #31 CJ Zimmerer check out his bio from Nebraska Athletics!

***

Click here to Throwback to the Class of 1998, Jay Foreman!

Next weeks’ Throwback Thursday Husker.. the Class of 2003, Jammal Lord!

Captain America

Oct16

If you’ve ever checked out my blog, THANK YOU, and you have likely noticed that I follow the Miss America organization and our local representatives. When it came time to write this week’s Huskers Throwback Thursday blog post, I came EVER so close to calling it ‘Mr. America’. I didn’t, because… it’s probably not very cool for any dude to be called Mr. America… I didn’t want this week’s former Husker to get teased.. because he’s still an athletic guy.. a fight could break out.. and so on, and so on. (These are the kind of random scenarios that go through my head on a daily basis. Don’t judge.)

Now, CAPTAIN AMERICA, on the otherhand, is a national hero. So we’ll go with that.

Ladies and gentleman, NEBRASKA’S CAPTAIN AMERICA..

..or as he’s known on the streets, Jay Foreman. (Pictured here with an awesome lady I’m sure would agree with me, Beth Pfeffer with Nebraska Medicine. More from Beth to come.)

Foreman was a starter on two national championship teams at Nebraska. He played in the NFL for eight years, team captain for three. He earned his MBA from HARVARD, WHILE playing for the NFL. Who does that?!?!?

And most impressive to many, he is now working towards something that offers little financial compensation for himself, but means the world to those battling a debilitating illness. Foreman has founded the Foreman Foundation to make life better for those with diabetes, a disease Foreman himself does not even have.

The Foreman Foundation contacted me several weeks ago, hoping as part of our Huskers Throwback Thursday series we could touch base with Foreman and more so, share his non-profit’s mission and goal; to ultimately find a cure for diabetes.

Foreman, #44, heads to the locker room to celebrate Nebraska’s 1997 National Championship. Photo courtesy of Josh Harvey & Scout.com.

To throwback to Foreman’s days at Nebraska is to remember Glory Days in Lincoln. When the Huskers crushed the Tennessee Volunteers in the 1997 Orange Bowl, Foreman started in his second national championship game.

“You know, what’s funny is while we were doing it, I don’t think I appreciated it as much as I should have,” Foreman told me recently. “Probably, to be on the team that’s maybe the best of all time is something not a lot of people can say. Only 22 people can say they started on the team, so I feel special just to say that. That alone is good enough for my career.”

The following year, Foreman would be named a semi-finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in just 3 1/2 years with a BS degree in Business Administration. While playing eight years in the NFL (including five consecutive seasons in which he logged more than 100 tackles,) Foreman ALSO earned his MBA at Harvard University. AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY. And as if that didn’t keep him busy enough, Foreman, as a professional football player, began to devote himself to public service. While playing for the Houston Texans, Foreman created ‘Foreman Friends’ to assist abused and underprivileged kids in group homes. He also reached out to families battling a disease he’d seen nearly all his life, diabetes.

“A lot of people in my family were affected, ARE affected, by diabetes and have actually lost their lives to it,” said Foreman. He describes relatives who literally seem to wither away. He says the effects impact their bodies, their moods and their energy levels. One of Foreman’s loved ones affected by diabetes, his father, 5-time Pro-Bowler Chuck Foreman.

Photo courtesy of FootballsFuture.com.

“He’s always been in somewhat good shape,” said Jay Foreman. “For him to have the episode he had to where he had his big toe cut off, that hit me pretty hard. It was something that hit home, and I knew I needed to do something.”

In 2013, back in Nebraska, Foreman DID do something, forming his own 501c3 non-profit organization devoted to the cause.

In February, the Foreman Foundation hosted its first big event, a Bowl-a-Thon to ‘Strike Out’ diabetes.

The event raised $6,000.

Foreman and his foundation have since reached out to area businesses, applied for and won grants, and are planning the first Foreman Foundation Gala. So far, they have raised an estimated $32,000 for groups like Nebraska Medicine’s Diabetes Center, the Heart Ministry Center in North Omaha and the People’s Health Center in Lincoln.

The donations make a huge difference to patients Beth Pfeffer sees everyday. That’s Beth in the first picture in this post; she’s the Director of Diabetes Services with Nebraska Medicine (formerly the Nebraska Medical Center.)

“Diabetes is a very expensive disease,” Pfeffer told me. “There are medications, testing strips, monitors, meters, pumps, all kinds of supplies.”

Pfeffer adds that many patients, just like Chuck Foreman, need many different doctors, as diabetes affects eyes and feet among other things. All of this can be overwhelming for patients who may or may not have the ability to pay for supplies, care or education. The Foreman Foundation helps cover that gap.

“Being a former Husker football player means a lot, especially to younger patients,” said Pfeffer. “It’s a pay-it-forward type scenario to me.”

Paying forward KINDNESS. A novel thought.

I asked Foreman WHY. With all his success in football and business, why doesn’t he just take what he’s earned and live an easy life in a beach house in Malibu?

“Well first, I’m from Minnesota, so it would be a cabin on the lake,” Foreman joked. “Life is short. I want to have an impact and reach as many people as I can.”

Jay Foreman is certainly reaching people. Through TV, when he flies back to Texas for analysis of both college and pro football. Through radio, when he fills in on friend and former Nebraska teammate Damon Benning’s sports talk show on 1620 The Zone (and here’s hoping the Mr. America reference NEVER comes up on Sharp and Benning in the Morning!) And through his iconic 90’s Nebraska football teams that still make Husker Nation smile.

But perhaps, Jay Foreman’s legacy will not be all the tackles he recorded on the field, but the work he’s doing now tackling this horrible disease.

It’s a mission he hopes today’s Huskers continue, for whatever cause hits home for them.

“It does feel good for people to recognize you for your hard work, and that’s all you want as a football player,” said Foreman. “I figured if I could use a little bit of my notoriety to help people, bring some knowledge and obviously raise funds to hopefully find a cure and get people educated, that’s the least I can do.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S HUSKER THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON #44 JAY FORMAN!

Click here to learn more about the Foreman Foundation on their website and on Facebook.

You can also email the Foreman Foundation at foreman.foundation@cox.net or call (402) 830-9269.

***

Click here to Throwback to the Class of 1977, Monte Anthony!

Next week’s Throwback Thursday.. Class of 2013, CJ Zimmerer!

Forever Young

Oct8

Think back to something you did when you were 17 years old. How about 18?

When I was 17, I was in Grease at Papillion-La Vista High School (along with Adrian Whitsett!). At 18, I saw my first Atlanta Braves game in person at Chase Field in Arizona.

At 17, Monte Anthony became one of Nebraska football’s leading rushers, a rare true freshman starting at a perennial powerhouse. He did all of that while taking 27 credit hours worth of classes at Nebraska, according to national broadcasters during the 1974 Sugar Bowl.

MONTE ANTHONY WAS JUST 17 YEARS OLD.

Hard to imagine the pressure this man faced at such a young age. KETV’s Andrew Ozaki asked Anthony about it a few weeks ago, when Anthony was inducted into Bellevue East High School’s Hall of Fame.

“It was fantastic,” said Anthony. “Actually, Coach Osborne, I see as a father figure. He taught me perseverance, team work, and that you can get out there and get it done if you want to get it done.”

The night before the Sugar Bowl, Coach Osborne also taught Anthony a tough lesson about responsibility. Anthony told me he was out with his family and missed curfew. He still clearly recalls what Coach Osborne told him.

“You’re a freshman, you can’t do that!” said Anthony. He remembers running laps and then riding the bench in the first half of that big bowl game.

It had to be torture watching this one from the sidelines. At the half, Florida had shut out Nebraska 10-0. Coach Osborne came out of the locker room with a new plan.

“Tom called upon me,” said Anthony. “I was totally shocked and stunned.”

Photo courtesy of HuskerMax.com!

Anthony was ready to deliver for his team and in the 4th quarter he had his chance.

“Tony Davis (Husker fullback) took me by the face mask when the play was called and said ‘we are taking this in’,” described Anthony. “You knew the entire team was one.”

Anthony dove into the end zone and scored Nebraska’s only touchdown of the game. It was enough; that drive sparked two more field goals and Nebraska beat Florida 13-10.

Click here to watch Anthony’s 1974 Sugar Bowl highlights, thanks to Jake Jacobsen & HuskerTapes.com.

One of my favorite parts about these highlights, aside from the SMASHING 1974 broadcast journalist attire, is the commentary.

“Many college football players are fine students, but few if any can equal the dual performance of Nebraska’s Monte Anthony on the field and in the classroom,” said ABC’s Don Tollefson. “In the classroom, he was piling up 27 semester credits while excelling in different courses like calculus, chemical engineering and computer science.”

“I actually received 10 hours of calculus credit my first semester by taking the 3rd semester math course,” Anthony told me. “In reality, I was only physically taking 17 hours and got credit for 27.”

If you’ve been in college, you know 17 hours is STILL an incredible commitment for any student, let alone a student athlete. But THAT is part of the message Monte Anthony wants high school and college athletes to take away from his time at Nebraska.

“I would say make sure you’re prepared. Not only physically, but mentally,” said Anthony. “Really, it starts in high school. Align yourself with good people. Make good decisions and your first couple of years, really get the program down as far as academics.”

Anthony was pretty darn good ON the field as well as off. He was Nebraska’s leading rusher from 1974-1975, racking up 1,310 yards in just two seasons. He was drafted in the 8th round in 1978 by Baltimore. Still, it was ultimately that academic foundation that would come to use in his career, as he came back to Omaha when his playing days were over. Anthony is now in project management at First Data. He has two daughters and speaks to young kids about the lessons he’s learned and his favorite moments as a Nebraska Cornhusker.

“Of course, I wish we would’ve had a lot bigger linemen as they do today!” Anthony joked. “It was really the experience, the fans, the team. But scoring is always the best.”

And while Monte Anthony can certainly look back at that 17 and 18 year old Husker with pride, he’s not living in the past by any means.

“Just loving Omaha, loving Nebraska and living the good life!” said Anthony.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S HUSKER THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON #49 MONTE ANTHONY!

***

CLICK HERE to Throwback to the Class of 1971, Larry Jacobson!

Next week’s Throwback Thursday.. Class of 1998, Jay Foreman!

A Nebraska Legend

Oct1

When the KETV Sports Team signed off on the idea of a Throwback Thursday Huskers edition, I started compiling a list of potential players we could catch up with. Players I remember the most, players that have been Husker Nation favorites over the years, and the legend, the names and faces that are synonymous with the storied history of Nebraska Football.

One of my ‘long shots’ was a guy named Larry Jacobson. Arguably one of THE BEST in Husker history. Nebraska’s first Outland Trophy winner. One of the stars of the Game of the Century in 1971. A starting tackle on the 2-time national champion team. I tracked him down, half expecting I would never hear back if I left a message.. I mean, he’s LARRY JACOBSON.

Larry was one of the FIRST to call me back. Hilarious, outgoing, HUMBLE. Proud to be a Husker and so grateful Husker Nation remembers him.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S HUSKER THROWBACK THURSDAY SPECIAL ON LARRY JACOBSON!

Photo courtesy of Nebraska Athletics & UNL Photographic Services

At one point in our phone conversation, I think I asked, ‘is this THE Larry Jacobson?!?’

Jacobson is now retired, enjoying his time reading, hunting, fishing and spending quiet evenings on the Platte river with his beautiful wife, Kathy. This fantastic couple welcomed us to their home a few weeks ago to talk football.

Photographer Dave Hynek and I pulled up, and the first thing I saw was an older model porsche with the license plate 71 OUTLN.

AWESOME, and just a preview of what we would see. The first thing that greets you upon walking into the Jacobson home is an enormous Outland Trophy displayed on the fireplace mantel. AN OUTLAND TROPHY. And it has company.

“And this, I just got two years ago, the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award,” said Jacobson, who then picked up a photo. “The #1 overall pick of the draft this year was JaDeveon Clowney. He was a classy guy; we had a good time with him two years ago.”

Jacobson, on the right, accepting the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award in 2012. Photo courtesy of Nebraska Athletics, Randy York & NU Media Relations.

Jacobson wasn’t bragging and he wasn’t arrogant in showing off his collection. It was almost like he was just as much in awe of all of the hardware and moments as we were!

He then led us upstairs to his ‘man-cave’ if you will.. a room he’s painted red and nearly every inch of space decorated with a Nebraska football memento. (I believe his wife, Kathy, gets much of the credit for that 🙂 There’s a collage featuring all eight of Nebraska’s Outland Tropy Winners, all signed. You see photos of Jacobson alongside some of the most talented college football players of the last 40 years. Hanging on one wall, tickets to the Game of the Century in 1971 signed by Devaney, Osborne, Switzer, Fairbanks. The room is A MUSEUM of Husker memorabilia, each item cooler than the last, and Jacobson has a story for every piece.

Take the football, signed by Bob Devaney, who coached Nebraska in that epic game against Oklahoma.

“You say, sometimes you wish people could have the feeling once in their life that we had after that game,” said Jacobson. Then, laughing: “we brought our own food down because we were afraid they were going to poison us!”

Turn to a black and white photo of the ’71 Huskers with President Richard Nixon.

“We were drafted while we were at the White House,” said Jacobson. “When we came out from visiting in the Oval Office with Nixon, they handed us a piece of paper. I went to the Giants and Jeff [Kinney] went to the Chiefs.”

Hard to imagine the excitement a young Jacobson must have had about his future. Little did he know, less than four years later, his playing days would be over.

One play. A nasty injury. (“My ankle did a ‘280’ on me,” said Jacobson, comparing it to Sean Fisher’s leg break in 2010.) Still in his 20’s, Larry Jacobson was forced to retire from football.

Jacobson, an Academic All-American at Nebraska, became a stockbroker, a career he would devote his life to for about 30 years until his retirement.

“I saw, as I was working, too many of my clients that worked and worked and worked, finally would retire and within two or three years, they died,” said Jacobson. “I didn’t want that to happen to me.”

Jacobson and his wife, Kathy, at an Angels Among Us fundraiser in 2010. Photo courtesy of Angels Among Us and Mike Downey.

Jacobson now follows the Huskers from his season ticket seats in the south end zone, prompting a popular question from many Husker fans, ‘uh, his name is DISPLAYED ON MEMORIAL STADIUM. Why does he need tickets?!?’ Jacobson just laughs.

“You look up, and you can’t believe it’s there,” said Jacobson. “You know, my Dad lived a good life until he was 85. I wish he would’ve lived a couple more years so he could see it up there.”

And maybe Dad could’ve weighed in on the debate that seems to present itself every time another team makes a run at repeat national titles. Would any of today’s teams have beaten the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers?

“There are a lot better athletes now, but as far as an organization, as far as a team, I don’t think there’ll ever be one like the ’71 Cornhuskers,” said Jacobson.

They were the only team to beat the #2, #3, and #4 teams in the country in the same season. 25 of the men on that team went on to play professional football. The Sporting News named their team the BEST EVER.

Jacobson, who still keeps in touch with many of his teammates, calls himself ‘fortunate’ to have been a part of it all.

“People remember Johnny Rodgers. They remember Jerry Tagge, Jeff Kinney, Rich Glover and a lot of times, they remember me,” said Jacobson. “And that really makes me feel good.”

To read more about #75 Larry Jacobson, check out his bio courtesy of Nebraska Athletics.

***

CLICK HERE to Throwback to the Classes of 1971 & 1997, Bill & Jesse Kosch!

Next week’s Throwback Thursday.. Class of 1977, Monte Anthony!

A Cinderella Story

Sep26

Recently, KETV aired one of the most powerful stories of my career.

Do I have your attention?

In my 13 years here at KETV, I’ve seen some incredible things and been honored to share some amazing stories. There are a handful that will always stick with me. Derek Ruth, a teenager who suffered a traumatic brain injury on the junior high football field, sharing profound lessons much wiser than his 13 years. Clayton Hildreth, losing his face and parts of his body to a fire as a toddler, overcoming all challenges to become an Eagle Scout as a young man. Kayla Wilkins, a teenager who I never got to meet, though the love of her family and their grief after her death in a car crash, shook me to my core.

2014. Add Gina Giaffoglione, excuse me, Gina Springhower, to that list.

Let’s state the obvious. GINA. IS. GORGEOUS. (Sorry, John, but your bride steals the show in this picture!)

I’m biased, having met and spoken with this incredible woman, but you can almost see through their engagement photo the sheer joy, happiness, and positive energy that spreads from Gina.

What you can’t see in this picture is that Gina is paralyzed from the belly button down.

It hasn’t always been that way. Gina grew up in her dad Gary’s tumbling center in Glenwood, Iowa. As the only girl and the youngest, Gina and Gary were athletes together, always in the gym.

March 22, 2008, Gina was in Wayne, Nebraska. The car Gina was in flipped. She was partially ejected and partially pinned. The crash broke Gina’s back and changed her life.

Meeting Gina more than six years later, I wonder if she ever grieved for what she lost or allowed herself to be swallowed by self pity or sadness. It’s really hard for me to picture because as you’ll see in our story, Gina is RADIANT. She never stops smiling, never stops lifting up those around her. When I asked her about the decision that sparked our story, she said it happened the day after her accident, March 23, 2008. The moment Gina decided paralysis or not, someday, she was going to walk down the aisle.

***

Fast forward to December 14, 2012.

Gina had reconnected with a guy she knew in high school, John Springhower.

“He was a senior when I was a freshman, so he was just that older, hot guy I just kind of looked at when he walked through,” Gina told me, of course, with a smile on her face. “I never would’ve had a chance with him because I had braces and.. it was just a disaster!”

The guy who led Gina and John to each other.. her dad, Gary. And on a surprise date right before Christmas, John proposed.

“He’s taken on this whole disability thing like a champ,” said Gina. “He’s just that wonderful guy, that he doesn’t see the chair. He just sees me for me and forgets about how I get around.”

Gina said yes, on one condition. Their wedding would have to wait.

***

Almost immediately after Gina’s accident, she turned to physical therapists and support groups at CHI Health Rehabilitation at Immanuel Medical Center. She made friendships and inspired nearly everyone she came in contact with, and over time, learned exactly what she wanted: to maintain her independence. Alegent Creighton, now CHI Health, even profiled Gina in September of 2009.

Physical Therapist Diana Palm was working with Gina when she met John, and was there the first time Gina returned to therapy after her engagement.

“She shows up, day one, and she’s like, ‘I’m getting married. I have to walk 90 feet. With just my Dad. On one crutch. In grass. In a big dress.”

What was once a dream was now a goal. Gina was going to walk down the aisle.

***

August of this year, I pulled up to Immanuel’s Rehabilitation Center for a story shoot. We were meeting a paralyzed young woman, in therapy three days a week, trying to learn how to walk down the aisle for her wedding. I walked into the huge room, filled with patients, family, friends and therapists, and immediately saw a stunning brunette, with a thousand-watt smile, warmly welcoming me to her session. By this point, Gina had been working toward this for more than a year. After sitting for so many years, Gina spent months in therapy just to stretch her body tall again. Every accomplishment meant more work, more therapy. Sitting to standing. Standing to a walker. From a walker to a forearm crutch. Walking in tulle to get used to moving in a dress.

“I mean, I’ve had days where I’m like, this isn’t going to work! I’ve been working at all this for nothing!” said Gina. Gina says John, close friends and her family propelled her to keep going. Her biggest inspiration was also right at her side; her dad, Gary.

“[This walk] is our moment. That’s the last time that I’m a Giaffoglione and I’m on his arm,” said Gina. “He deserves it.”

“I told her whether we roll down that aisle, or whether we walk down that aisle, we’re gonna do this,” said Gary. “Whichever way we have to do it, it’s been her dream. Obviously, it’s a Dad’s dream of having the honor of walking your daughter down the aisle.”

Gary joined Gina at therapy for the last several months, working on every, single detail. Helping Gina stand. Locking her brace. Right step, left step, too far, stop!! Turn.. slower.. hold hands, step again. Gary, his hand clenched tightly around his daughter’s, stared straight forward with a mix of pride and intense concentration on his face. Gina positively glowed; grinning ear to ear with every step. Joking with her therapists, looking at her feet and the reflection in the mirror of herself on her dad’s arm.

I stood in the corner of the center, holding back tears and trying to ‘remain professional’, in awe of what I was witnessing. I also thought, wow, these two have been here, over and over, several days a week, at home, at the venue, inside, outside, all for ONE MOMENT.

“If she’s doing it for us, or she’s doing it for herself, she’ll never tell us,” said Gary. “She always has that big smile on her face, so we don’t know. All I know is we’re gonna do it together, and we’re gonna love the moment.”

And here’s the catch… the Giaffogliones knew about Gina’s goal. John knew. Their close friends knew. To the rest of Gina’s guests, this dream becoming a reality, was a moment NO ONE ELSE KNEW ABOUT before the wedding.

Even Gina and Gary, who planned and worked so hard for months, were anxious about how everything would go… on grass.. on a hill.. in front of guests.

“There’s so much to it,” said Gina. “It’s going to be kind of crazy and I think, when it’s over, it’s gonna be like, AAAAAH, LET’S EAT SOME CAKE!”

***

September 13, 2014. The day Gina would walk down the aisle.

This is where I stop. Yup, that’s all you get for now. Because despite 13 years in television news writing stories, nothing I can type out will adequately describe what happened that beautiful Saturday in Pacific Junction, Iowa. Thanks to photojournalists Dave Hynek, Ashley Nodgaard and Tyler White, you can witness it for yourself.

Click here to watch Gina’s Cinderella story with KETV

I truly hope you make time to watch this one. It will take your breath away, and leave you in tears. Happy tears.

gina

Gina is a reminder that fairy tales can become reality, dreams can come true. And since I don’t have the words, I will leave you with Gina’s.

“I look at it as I might be having a bad day, but I’m HAVING a day. I’m here. I’m having a day. This walk down the aisle might not be what I always envisioned it would be, but we’re having a walk down the aisle. It’s happening. You’re here. You’re blessed. And if I can help somebody in some way to maybe look at their life a little bit differently and be blessed to have their own day, that’s why I’m having a day in my eyes.”

***

Gina has a blog and is available to speak for groups and events. Check out her website, Perfectly Imperfect Gina, or visit her on Facebook!