Tag: hope

Dear Ms. Wurtzel

On By Michael FlemingIn Mental HealthLeave a comment

I read your book Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America when I was in my twenties. I remember your journey through the darkness. I appreciated your honesty, your courage, your intellect, your literary prowess, your love of Bruce Springsteen.

You wrote:

And maybe—and this is a really optimistic maybe—somewhere along the way this dour story might give some people some inspiration and even some hope for a better future, for the future that people my age and younger can look forward to building.

I was saddened by the news of your death. It reminded me of the time I read your book. It reminded me of the time you inspired me. It reminded me of the time you gave me hope.

A Real Hero

On By Michael FlemingIn Learning and GrowthLeave a comment

My young daughter has been fascinated with Terry Fox ever since she learned about him in junior kindergarten.

I used to read Terry Fox: A Story of Hope to her at bedtime, and every time I’d be crying by the final page. My daughter was drawn to the story and pictures, especially the Terry Fox statues depicted in the book.

Last week our family travelled to Ottawa and across from the Parliament Buildings stood a statue of Terry Fox. It was a special moment for my daughter and me. She got to stand beside her hero Terry Fox, and being next to her, I got to stand beside one of mine.

In a world where people look up to those like Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber, I’m proud that my daughter looks up to a young Canadian who embodied hope and courage: Terry Fox—a real hero.