When I started this mission of raising awareness for children’s cancer during September I said I would share stories that most people didn’t hear. A little more of the inside look into what we were going through…more than just the shiny, bald, adorable Brody pictures.
We have had so many AMAZING people reach out to us offering their prayers, support, anything and everything! We are so grateful to these people and our community. It is hard to pick just one story, but this one involves someone everyone knows.
As most of you know I am the morning show cohost of WIXX in Green Bay. I get the privilege to talk to Coach McCarthy every week and I would like to think we have a pretty good relationship. When Brody got sick I basically was nonexistent to work for a few weeks. We left in the middle of the night with no return in sight. Murphy had the lucky job of reaching out to people I encounter regularly at work. One of those being Coach McCarthy.
One of the reasons I am sharing this story is I can only hope Wisconsin knows what an amazing person they have leading the Green Bay Packers. Not only is he one hell of a coach, but he is just one overall hell of a guy.
His first response to the news was “we have to get this right.” He followed up a few hours later with that he reached out to his mom and she will be lighting a candle for Brody at their family church in Pittsburgh. One of the reasons I love this story is yes prayer and God helped our family get through this event, but if you listen to the announcers during one of the games right after Aaron Rodgers got hurt (Brody was in the hospital at the same time.) The announcers mention that Coach McCarthy’s mom went to church to light candles for Rodgers and I believe Randall Cobb was also hurt at the time. They told the story that Coach McCarthy always asks his mom to do this for him, and how much it means to him. To know that Brody probably came up in that same conversation as Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb, and that Coach made it a priority still gives me all the feels.
Another thing Coach did when I returned to work was bring coffee for us and just sat with us. He kept asking if I was allright and if I needed anything. Again- he said we are gonna make sure we get this right. He checks in on Brody regularly.
The final thing he did was during Brody’s lung surgery. I had gotten a text from Murphy asking if my surprise was there yet? I had no idea what he was talking about. Everyone was used to us being in the hospital, guests and “surprises” kind of go to the wayside since these procedures are par for the course these days. A few minutes later we got a knock on the door with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a huge teddy bear. I read the card and burst into tears on the spot. They were from Coach McCarthy.
Brody called his bear Snuggly Bear and still sleeps with him every night. According to him Snuggly Bear made him brave in the hospital when he was scared.
This is one of the stories I wasn’t sure I would ever share. I am sharing because the amazing thing that Coach did was see us. He saw that we were struggling. He saw we were hurting and he reached out. If you don’t know how to help a family go through this, the most important think you can do is SEE them. Acknowledge them. Pray for them. Don’t stop the phone calls. Don’t stop the coffee visits. Don’t stop the are you ok? They may take a long time to answer or not answer at all, but be patient. They are reading the messages and they bring SO MUCH comfort.
