f e i h C n I r Edito
March, 2018
s oe r e h l ia c pe s r o f e im t A I recently gave a talk to a group in the public relations field and was asked about my favorite editorials throughout the years. Four of the five stories I spoke about were stories of heroism. Was it because I was currently reading hero stories while
preparing for the March magazine, or because those are the stories imprinted deep
within me? When you look at the current movies high on the box office, “Avatar” (alltime highest box-office grossing movie worldwide), “Titanic” (second highest grossing worldwide), “Star Wars” (third highest grossing worldwide) and “Beauty and the Beast” (eleventh highest growing worldwide), they all have some form of heroism. These highlywatched films show us that I am not alone here, and that we all need to celebrate and touch on heroes. When 9/11 hit, our world glued itself to all types of media to learn more about the specifics, but our hearts also yearned to know about the heroes of the day. We recently mourned with Florida after their tragic school shooting, heartbroken about the lives taken, fearing for our own children’s lives and praying that if this tragedy ever
hits close to home, we would have a hero like the football coach who used his body to shield his students. My point is that as small children and grown adults, we need heroes. We search for them — especially, ones that don’t crumble under the weight of real-world interaction. We gravitate towards heroes that either share traits we already possess, vicariously living through them, or we select ones that have a quality we lack in order to inspire personal development. As you read through the pages of the March magazine, you’ll be inspired by Tiffany Herrera, age 19, who was a soft-hearted young woman, unknowing that her life would be cut short and that her heart would someday beat in another’s body. That tough decision came during a tragic time and by her family who donated her organs, so that another life would go on. Today, a small part of her lives on as her healthy organs continue to give life to four individuals. Two of our staff members were there when the Herrera family met two of the recipients and caught the emotional reaction of hearing their daughter/sister’s heart beating in another. The gift of life is the most precious, greatest gift a person could ever give. You can also read about the heroes in the canine units, whose detailed stories we’re not allowed to fully tell (something about government secrets being kept on a need-toknow basis), of lives saved, lives protected, and the constant war on drugs and human smuggling. If you’re an animal lover — and who isn’t — you’ll connect and fall in love with these dogs that protect our borders, our city. We need these heroes. As I get older, I’m realizing that womanhood/manhood is about finding the balance between following in the footsteps of the people you look up to, while also carving your own path, so that we can mentor others. Here’s to the current heroes, the future heroes and the unsung heroes.