Unforgettable
It’s past 1:30 a.m., my Fitbit tells me that I’ve walked more than 18,000 steps today, and I’ve consumed several classes of wine, but I can’t sleep.
I can’t get the image of an 8-year-old boy out of my head.
It’s been about six months since I first met Jonny Wade, and I still remember the first time I met him. He had lost his hair and a lot of weight, but the one thing he hadn’t lost was his smile. As he met with Rodney in the lobby of Jerseyville Community Hospital, I’ll never forget his smile, and his camaraderie with his twin brother, Jackie.
I’ll also never forget the pain in his mother’s eyes when I met her and Jonny in late November, just a month before he passed away. I’ll never forget the indignity of seeing a beautiful 8-year-old in a casket, being mourned well before his time had come.
But today is also a day I’ll never forget.
Jacky and his parents, Jon and Kim, were guests of Rodney’s at the State of the Union address in Washington D.C., and I will never forget the reception they received, less then three weeks after burying one of their sons.
After inviting the Wade family to the State of the Union, Rodney’s office underwent the task of making sure every member of Congress knew Jonny’s story and his mission of making sure that no other kind has to suffer cancer.
The amount of love and support showed to the family from strangers throughout the country was nothing short of breathtaking. Nearly every corner they turned and every elevator they stepped into, a member of Congress showed the Jon, Kim, and Jacky a wristband that simply stated “#TeamJonny.”
Out of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, it’s a safe estimate that at least 200 wore the wristband. Regardless of party affiliation, geographic location, or any other demographic, they went out of their way to show love to the Wade family.
This grassroots campaign, which was started on Facebook following Jonny’s diagnosis a little over a year ago has been featured in the Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and television stations in the St. Louis market. That doesn’t even begin to cover all the elected representatives who wore the wristbands and showed loved and support to the family.
There is still a lot of work to be done to reach Jonny’s mission of making sure no other kid has to have cancer. But after seeing the impact that one family from Jerseyville can have on Washington, D.C., nothing is impossible.
