Unsung Heroes

 

October 4, 2022

 

 

From an article in the Post-Dispatch:

A woman with a severely disabled daughter could not get dental treatment for her. No standard dental practice had the necessary setup or equipment to work with her. So, at age 41, the daughter had undergone years of rotting teeth and infections that were treated with antibiotics and advice to see a dentist.

 

 

In desperation, the mother called the Human Resources Department at Barnes-Jewish hospital in St. Louis. She thought that “Human Resources” was someplace that people could turn to when they needed help.

 

 

The woman who answered the phone listened to the story, put the mother on hold for over 10 minutes, and then came back on the line and said that the hospital had made an appointment to treat the daughter.

 

 

The rest of the article goes on to talk about a partnership between various entities who will do dental work for people with extraordinary needs.

 

 

But the real hero in this story is the woman who didn’t say, “This isn’t my job. I don’t have time for this. Call the United Way’s 411 system.”

 

 

And there are so many more like her.

 

 

Let’s call today Unsung Heroes Day.