A firefighter named Woody

For weeks and months after September 11th, I watched the tragedies and rescues through the lens of a mother of a young firefighter.  When innocent children were murdered at Sandy Hook,  and I imagined them sitting in their desks drawing, writing stories and learning math for a future they wouldn't get to have, I listened with horror as a grandmother of young children.  When teenagers were killed in a theater in Colorado, same thing.  We all grieve vicariously for those who are our children with different names and faces.

Last night, a brave and big-hearted man name Woody died of leukemia--one year after his stem cell transplant.  He was one of two San Antonio firefighters recently diagnosed with a form of leukemia that may be associated with the chemicals used in their work.

I met him one afternoon about a year ago at Helotes Elementary.  Will, Elena and I were waiting for Nathan and Woody was waiting for his daughter.  Will and Woody had once been students at Helotes Elementary, and both chose careers in the San Antonio Fire Department.

I listened that day as Will and Woody talked about Woody's upcoming treatment plan and hopes for a recovery.  I watched as his little girl ran out of the building to meet her daddy.  Then Will and Woody shook hands, calling each other "Buddy" as firefighters do.

Ever since I heard the news of his death, I've been thinking about that little girl and how bereft she must be today.

When one of their own is sick, firefighters and their families pack hospital corridors to wait with the sick and comfort their families.  When an active firefighter is ill, his "brothers" take over his shifts.

I read hundreds of Facebook postings about Woody this morning, written just a few hours after his death. "God got himself a good man," someone wrote.  Others wrote messages to Woody, words of love and respect.

I've never seen the kind of big-family closeness in any profession as what I see in fighters of fire, first responders, and rescuers.  Maybe it's because they are prepared at any moment to put their lives on the line together.  Maybe it's because they've seen so much suffering and loss that they are united in their love of living and each other.