Out of the Comfort Zone

Heroes, man. That's what I'd call these two medical professionals. They are living up to the Hippocratic oath they took when they agreed to take on their medical calling. Even if they are put in harm's way, they are called to help their fellow human beings. No matter where in the world it may take them.

Reporter Sheeka Strickland and I met Physician's Assistant John Williams at the hospital first and sat down to talk about the adventure on which he was about to embark. He's a very kind and soft-spoken man--well suited for his vocation. He had his Toyota 4-Runner packed with medical supplies, ready to take the cargo and his determined self to the airport. There, he will join his partner, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bill Ward on a private jet to the well-shaken island. They expect to stay 11 days. But they are prepared to stay longer, if needed.

When we interviewed Dr. Ward a short time later, he said that while he is a specialist, he will do whatever is needed, and what his skills and knowledge will allow. But he hopes he won't have to step out of his comfort zone. Most of us don't like to leave the warm familiarity of our little zone of comfort. It takes a great deal of courage to do something so bold. Listen to what he says at the end of the story. If you ask me, he'll really feel vexed when he steps out of that plane. But one is never too old to be challenged and learn.

I greatly admire these two men, and it was a privilege to have crossed paths with them. I wish them both well.

Bold Missions

Today was quite busy for newsgathering. We are all in the process of hunting and gathering for our big civil rights anniversary special that will air on Feb. 1. There is a LOT of time spent making calls, interviewing people, writing, and editing going on all while we march on with gathering not only the news of the day, but several franchise stories--you know, the Pay It Forwards, the Fox on Your Sides, the Made in NC, etc.
Today, Sheeka Strickland and I interviewed Pat Patterson, a man who was arrested for his part in bringing about social and civic change to civil rights in 1960s Greensboro. What a treat it has been to be in the presence of people like Mr. Patterson who summoned great courage at a young age to do something they knew would be VERY unpopular. A bold mission to say the least.

We also were invited into the home of a young man named Justin Hoyle who is a crime victim. Yesterday someone, or some people broke into his house and stole 2 TVs, a Sony Playstation, and a laptop. It is the laptop that has Justin on a mission. See, his brother Jason was an avid graphic designer, and specialized in NASCAR-type graphics. Last year, Jason died of cancer. After that, it bacame Justin's goal in life to follow after his brother in designing graphics. Now, everything that represented his brother's creativity is gone. He said he has made it his life's mission to find the laptop and finish what he started.

That story provided some very creative opportunities for me as a photojournalist and an editor. As I looked around the room we were in, I noticed several things that would make for good visual story-telling, like a sign above the living room that read in bold lettering: "FAITH-DREAM-HOPE"

Words by which to live. Thank you Justin for that, and I hope you find what you are looking for on your very bold mission.

As a photojournalist who gathers the news of the day, I have come across just about every kind of story, and every kind of person you can imagine. As a photojournalist who works in TV news, it is incumbent and intrinsic that I capture and broadcast the human emotions that accompany them. Unfortunately, most of the time the story I gather does not register very noticeably on the emotional richter scale. Those stories mostly serve to educate the viewer. Conversely, when the story is a natural disaster, a fire, a shooting, or a fatal car wreck, then we're dealing with the most difficult kind to witness, let alone document.

Recently, however, I have had the great fortune to document a relatively new franchise to WGHP. We call it "Pay it Forward". As the title suggests, someone benefits from someone else's act. With the financial help from a sponsor, our station solicits people to recommend someone in the community, who is unrelated to them, who has fallen on hard times, yet carries on through life, giving as if nothing is wrong on the home front. The station gives the nominator $400 in cash, and, with our cameras in tow, they give it to their surprised nominee. Of course the plug is pulled on the emotional dike as the receiver realizes they've just been given $400 in cash to keep. Usually, as one would expect, the person receiving the money will begin to cry and need to hug the giver. And usually it doesn't hit me that hard. For some reason when a young lady named Elizabeth Brannock realized she was the recipient, and began to break down, it hit me hard enough to break me. And I love it when a story can do that. You could see a relief valve open, if just slightly, to release some of the stress that pain and suffering from a person's situations can bring. I didn't feel that strong emotion at the time I captured it on disc that day, but when you sequester yourself in the editing room, and you put that moment into the context of the story you are crafting, you realize the power of our profession, and it is powerful.

I couldn't choose a more satisfying vocation.