When I was first asked to blog on our website, I was so excited. My mind raced with things I wanted to say, things I wanted to share. I found myself feeling quite emotional. My thoughts ran to my feelings. Feelings of gratitude for working for a group of people that supported me through my diagnosis of breast cancer and all that followed. Excited to be part of a great organization that does so much for the community.
It hit me as I was preparing to come back to work for the United Way, that I was one of those people who got services. I thought to myself that I needed to impart my personal message when I was giving my presentations. That would be my touch. But that all changed quickly. I found that in the right atmosphere, that I might mention it to a coordinator, or to a group where that experience might hit home or be of some help.
I can’t remember exactly at which presentation I was but I found myself thinking that I had little to deal with compared to Doug Lemcke and his family. I remember thinking that my illness paled to Lou Gehrig’s disease. And as life happens, this thought took a life of its own.
In a period of a week, I met with an account where Doug Lemcke’s mother actually retired to care for her son. The company expressed immense concern for the family and it hit home to them. She was part of their family. Then, I was asked to make a presentation to a group for one of my colleagues. Before I was introduced, I was told that Doug Lemcke’s wife worked for this company and that about half of the people in the meeting new that the Lemcke family was in the video. In my introductory remarks, I always give a background on the video and of course mentioned that the technology that Doug Lemcke was using to be able to communicate with this family. And, then I looked at this group of people and so many were fighting back emotions and tears. And, well, I found myself choked up too. It has never happened to me before but again, seeing such concern for this woman and this family, it just got to me. Again, she was part of this group’s family.
When the meeting was over, I got in my car and just let the emotions out. But, in my catharsis, I realized how small this community is. I mean Doug Lemcke is one person and one family and there are so many people whose lives have been touched by a turn of events and how each one of them impacts so many other people, personally and professionally. And, how the United Way, softens the impact. So that is my message now and I like it.
It hit me as I was preparing to come back to work for the United Way, that I was one of those people who got services. I thought to myself that I needed to impart my personal message when I was giving my presentations. That would be my touch. But that all changed quickly. I found that in the right atmosphere, that I might mention it to a coordinator, or to a group where that experience might hit home or be of some help.
I can’t remember exactly at which presentation I was but I found myself thinking that I had little to deal with compared to Doug Lemcke and his family. I remember thinking that my illness paled to Lou Gehrig’s disease. And as life happens, this thought took a life of its own.
In a period of a week, I met with an account where Doug Lemcke’s mother actually retired to care for her son. The company expressed immense concern for the family and it hit home to them. She was part of their family. Then, I was asked to make a presentation to a group for one of my colleagues. Before I was introduced, I was told that Doug Lemcke’s wife worked for this company and that about half of the people in the meeting new that the Lemcke family was in the video. In my introductory remarks, I always give a background on the video and of course mentioned that the technology that Doug Lemcke was using to be able to communicate with this family. And, then I looked at this group of people and so many were fighting back emotions and tears. And, well, I found myself choked up too. It has never happened to me before but again, seeing such concern for this woman and this family, it just got to me. Again, she was part of this group’s family.
When the meeting was over, I got in my car and just let the emotions out. But, in my catharsis, I realized how small this community is. I mean Doug Lemcke is one person and one family and there are so many people whose lives have been touched by a turn of events and how each one of them impacts so many other people, personally and professionally. And, how the United Way, softens the impact. So that is my message now and I like it.
2 comments:
Hello, I am Doug Lemcke's sister. It touches my heart and soul to understand the depth of feeling and caring our community has poured forth on behalf of Doug and his family. I just wanted you to know that it makes a hugh difference to know this! Thank you for taking the time to express your feelings and to share our story... Someday the may find a cure and I'm sure Doug will be proud knowing that maybe in some small way he has helped.
Hello. I am Doug Lemcke's son. I want to thank everybody who has helped my family over the past five years that my dad had ALS. My gratitude for the care that my family got goes beyond words. Someday, I' sure that we will fin a cure and it may be too late for my dad, who, sadly, passed away last summer, but he will be glad that others will be saved from experiencing the same fate that he did.
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