Here's a copy of today's print column, about a special kid and a special story, one I could not be more proud of.
Some stories stay with you longer than others. Most of the time, that’s not a good thing. A lot of the stuff we deal with every day is fairly horrific; people dealing with the worst life can throw at them.
But there’s no question the worst is when those stories involve kids. Those are the faces you see when you sit up in bed at 3 a.m. in a cold sweat.
Maybe that’s why so many journalists develop a fairly tough exterior. Very often it hides a wounded soul, one pierced by too many stories about children in unimaginably sad circumstances.
It makes you wonder how people can be so heartless, how they can possibly act so callously toward kids who can’t defend themselves, who depend on adults to shield them from such brutal reality.
It makes you doubt your fellow man, and even your own reaction to still another harrowing ordeal.
Sometimes it makes you question yourself, and what you do for a living.
Then you meet a kid like Tommy Geromichalos.
I’ve been toiling in this racket now for longer than I care to remember. I can’t think of many stories I’ve taken more pleasure from than Tommy’s.
We were first introduced to young Mr. Geromichalos back in January 2006 by our lead columnist, Gil Spencer.
Tommy, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, had a wish. That gives him something in common with a lot of kids. He expressed his wish to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the organization that makes dreams come true for ailing kids.
What made Tommy’s saga unique was not his age, nor his condition. Rather, it was what he was asking for. A lot of kids ask for a trip to Disney World or to meet a sports superstar. There’s nothing wrong with those things, especially if it brings some joy to a sick youngster.
But that’s not what Tommy had in mind.
Specifically, Tommy asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation if it could save his school. Tommy attended St. Cyril of Alexandria parochial elementary school in East Lansdowne. Like many of the archdiocese schools in the eastern end of the county, St. Cyril’s was struggling. Attendance was declining; costs were headed in the other direction. The situation appeared bleak. The pastor had recommended to the archdiocese that the school be closed to ease the financial burden on the parish.
That’s when Tommy penned his letter. He “wished” for his school to stay open so he could graduate with his class.
Of course, the staggering financial abyss the school was teetering on was too much for even the folks at Make-A-Wish.
That’s when the real miracle happened.
Gil wrote a column concerning Tommy’s plight, and we also ran the full text of his letter to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
It struck a chord with our readers, as well as the St. Cyril community.
Soon, all the local TV stations were beating a path to St. Cyril’s door. The CBS Evening News even did a piece on Tommy’s wish.
I have to admit, being the product of a Catholic grade school, I have a soft spot for them and the nuns who taught me so well. And it pains me to see school after school in Delaware County deal with the threat of shutting down because of financial considerations.
Apparently, it had the same effect on a lot of other people.
We did a series of stories on Tommy and the grass-roots community campaign to save St. Cyril’s. The group’s motto, borrowed from the late Phillies reliever Tug McGraw, was “Ya Gotta Believe.”
They weren’t kidding. The group raised more than $260,000. They did what nobody thought they could do. They saved St. Cyril School. No less a figure than Archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali paid a visit to the school to announce that it would remain open.
Today, thanks to a group called BLOCS (Business Leaders Organized for Catholic Schools), fundraising is continuing to assure that St. Cyril’s and other schools continue their mission. The group proposed a 10-year spending plan to offer a lifeline for the school and is extending it to other ailing archdiocesan schools in the region.
Tonight, the story will come full circle. Tonight Tommy’s “wish” will come true. Tommy Geromichalos will graduate, along with the rest of the Class of 2008, at St. Cyril School.
Some people have told me that the newspaper was instrumental in galvanizing the community behind the effort to save St. Cyril’s. Actually, it was more like the resolve of all those community members who were determined to make Tommy’s wish come true.
But I would be lying if I did not tell you that I take some satisfaction with what happened at St. Cyril’s.
Like I said, a lot of what we report every day involves stories that can scar your soul. This one did, too, but in a different way.
We could use a lot more stories like Tommy’s, a lot more miracles.
Who says wishes don’t come true?
Philip E. Heron is editor of the Daily Times. Call him at (610) 622-8818. E-mail him at editor@delcotimes.com. To visit his daily blog, the Heron’s Nest, go to www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/delcotimes/philh/blog.html.