Batman! Calling Batman!
May 2nd 2009
Karen RoseOn Writing!
The other night I listened to my oldest child lamenting the unfairness of the system that allows bad people to get away with doing bad things. She was articulate and dynamic in her opinions, but the that was the basic gist of it. My husband agreed, but maintained that the absence of a justice system would plunge us into chaos and anarchy. Their debate reached something of a crescendo as I listened (silently – I wasn’t going to get between them, LOL), then my daughter lifted her hands and said, “So what do we do?”
My husband said, “Call for Batman.” They both laughed, and tension diffused, wandered into a new topic.
But it got me to thinking about “Calling for Batman.” In the comics you can call for a Superhero when times get rough and you’re in a pickle. In real life, it isn’t so simple. In real life there isn’t a Batman. (Sorry, everyone.)
Instead, in real life we have doctors and firemen and policemen who put themselves on the line every day and I am so grateful for them. We also have people with more mainstream jobs who do heroic things. One of our own goddesses has a sister who’s running for a lymphoma cure. Many of you all rescue animals or buy your own classroom supplies so kids don’t go without or give hours of your time to wonderful charities. That makes you all heroes to me.
One of my good friends is such a hero, although I’m sure she wouldn’t want to be viewed that way. 
Author Brenda Novak hosts an auction every year to benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research – to find a cure. Her youngest son has this disease and if you ask Brenda, she’d say she does this auction because it’s the right thing to do. Of course it is – but with everyday responsibilities of family and career, that doesn’t make it the easy thing. Which is why she’s one of my heroes.
In four years, Brenda has raised nearly a half million dollars for JD research. The stuff on her auction is prime – I have my eye on a handbag. I always get outbidded, but this year, I will prevail! The goddesses have a basket of autographed books and other delightful goodies, and the list goes on. Here’s the link: www.brendanovak.auctionanything.com/
So go, have a look. Make a bid! And be a hero, too.
I have lots of other real-world heroes who do amazing things. Who is your real-world hero? Why? Did you find something cool on the auction you’re gonna bid on?
29 Comments »
29 Responses to “Batman! Calling Batman!”
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 1:22 am #
I’m going to add another real-life hero before I hit the bed tonight.
She’s a teen who lives in Britain. She wrote me recently, very politely. She said she’d been more internet aware since reading KILL FOR ME.
Then she told me about her friend, a young girl with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), which means muscle and tendon turn to bone, causing sufferers to become stuck almost like a statue.
This girl asked me to mention FOP on my website or in a book as “millions” read my books. I thought that was sweet. Then I read the link she sent – it’s a newspaper article about her friend – a London girl who lives with this disease. The slightest jar or bump can cause her joints to form new bone, so whenever this girl goes into a crowd – at school, the mall, wherever – her friends form a protective shield around her, taking her bumps so that she’ll be safer. They do her hair and help her perform the functions she no longer can do.
That choked me up. The girl who wrote me has learned so early what it means to feel pain for another’s condition, to go the extra mile. She’s a hero. I have hope for the world when I read letters like this. There is goodness out there.
evlqn on 02 May 2009 at 3:16 am #
My sister is my hero, we joke about it a lot but she really is. She is a gifted artist but had to turn down a scholarship to art school because her parents (she was adopted) didn’t want her to waste her life. She ended up going to nursing school for 2 years before quitting. We met again after several years when I was 19. She is a tremendous role model and has the biggest heart of anyone I know.
We were ready to go to Ireland for three weeks when DHS called her and asked if she would be willing to take her grandsons, as they were about to be removed from their parents custody. The trip is on permanent hold. She was also in negotiation to buy the house she was the resident care manager. She had to give that job up to concentrate on the babies, they were 1 & 2 at the time. The state did not pay her for taking them, she had no job, and we had to liquidate of portfolio to stay afloat. She started a daycare in our home so she could stay with the boys and they would get the socialization they needed. 18 months later the parents got them back. Four years ago they were returned to us and this time we get to keep them.
evlqn on 02 May 2009 at 3:25 am #
Now in addition to raising two VERY active pre-teens, she gets to take care of me. I have several forms of arthritis and moving is sometimes a challenge to say the least. After having the sole support of me while we fought with SSA over disability I was finally awarded SSI but denied back payments. We were in litigation for 6 years. Finally, three months ago the state decided to pay her for me. If it were not for my sister,not only would two wonderful children be part of the system, I would be one of those people holding up a sign on the freeway exits. I am a very lucky woman, I get to see my hero everyday.
Lisa H on 02 May 2009 at 5:47 am #
Karen – that girl from London who wrote to you has me choked up. What empathy for one so young.
And millions do read your books!!!!!
Lisa H on 02 May 2009 at 5:49 am #
My friends are my superheros. Watching my best girlfriend go through a difficult divorce, and how she has handled the the whole issue of her kids spending time with her ex’s new family has been really amazing. She is the tiniest slip of a girl, but her inner strength is commendable.
I have wonderful girlfriends who are always there for me, no matter what emergency.
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 6:49 am #
Hey, Lisa – you’re right – the friends that stand by you no matter what the emergency. Heroes. I’m a lucky woman to have several such friends and they are more precious that gold.
Evqln – your sister sounds amazing. I hope she gets to read what you wrote about her, but I suspect she already knows how you feel.
Sabrina Jeffries on 02 May 2009 at 7:46 am #
Wow, y’all have me crying today. Eviqn, your sister sounds like an angel. That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever read. My sister would do the same for me, I bet, if she had to. Aren’t sisters wonderful?
Freshechelle on 02 May 2009 at 7:54 am #
What an inspiring topic today. Thanks for bringing attention to Brenda’s amazing auction. I’ve placed a bid on an item from a goddess.
Karen, your offering is very cool. Many cool items for an aspiring author to bid on. Wish I were an aspiring author.
evlqn on 02 May 2009 at 7:56 am #
She is pretty special. That doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes fight,we do but we try to keep it on topic and very brief. We rarely have a disagreement that last longer than 5 minutes. Today she gets to go to Roseburg to a soccer match and I am going to a basketball game. Two boys in different sports, I will be glad when football starts up again. They will probably be on the same team, the coaches have already started recruiting them.
Deb Marlowe on 02 May 2009 at 7:56 am #
Thank you, Karen, for giving us a forum to celebrate real life heroes! I love your stories and all the other goddesses’ too–I love to hear the amazing things people do for each other, not just the bad stuff!
Brenda is a real hero–I’m amazed at how huge her auction has become. What a great service for a terrific cause.
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 8:05 am #
Deb – it’s true. There is still so much good in the world. The bad tends to get all the press. Like how many planes land safely every day, but we hear about the one that crashes?
I think all the bad things we hear in the news colors our attitude toward people in general. So many good things happen. Let’s celebrate that.
It’s good for the soul!
Yeah, Fresh! Thanks for bidding. I’ve been perusing this morning and will start my bidding later today. Handbag shoppers, beware! There are also some lovely pieces of jewelry.
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 8:06 am #
Sabrina, ain’t it beautiful? I love the stories too. I’m hoping to get sniffly a few times today
Judy F on 02 May 2009 at 8:30 am #
My heroes are my dads nurses and aides at Hearthstone. He has been at the nursing home since last August and they are Angels. The patience and care they have shown dad and us is amazing. Just great people and they have really taken a load off our minds about him being in a nursing home.
Another hero is friends of friends that are willing to cut my mom a break on home repairs. One guy who is a friend of my BIL helped us regravel the driveway last sat. Normally he just dumps the gravel and goes but because he was friends with Bob he spread it through the drive and stayed and helped us even it out. A 5 hour plus job cut down to under 2.
A coworked is a hero. She is walking soon in a liver walk for transplant patients. He Bil had a liver transplant not to long ago and is doing great. She has her own health issues lately but is going to do the 10 mile walk.
Louisa Cornell on 02 May 2009 at 9:52 am #
What great stories. With so much bad news being reported the stories of every day heroes give me so much hope for us as a species.
Eviqn, your sister is a real angel !
One of my heroes is my CP, Erin. She has Type 1 Diabetes, has had it since she was a child. She was recently diagnosed with three brain tumors and underwent gamma knife surgery for them. She is so brave and has such a great sense of humor about it. The radiation from the surgery made her so sick, but she still worries about all of the things she is involved in – her charity work, taking care of her MIL who is in kidney failure, taking care of her hubby a busy surgeon. She worries about him worrying. She bakes hundreds of cornbread muffins and makes soup for the homeless shelter in her town. She handled the applications for Salvation Army Christmas gifts for needy families. One young mentally challenged man asked for a bicycle. He is 18 and works all over town at odd jobs and he has to walk from place to place. He is the sole support of his crippled mother. The powers that be said that they couldn’t give him the bicycle because he was 18, not a child. Erin went home and told her husband “We’re buying a bicycle.”
Louisa Cornell on 02 May 2009 at 9:54 am #
She worries about me and is a constant source of support and inspiration. She is involved in every charity in her town and it would be easy for her to write a check, but she goes the extra mile even when her diabetes and now her surgery recovery make her deathly ill. She goes until her hubby puts his foot down and says “You need to rest.” She really is a fabulous lady.
Madeline Hunter on 02 May 2009 at 10:18 am #
I have always thought that most heroes don’t even know they are heroic. They do it because, well, of course it should be done. That is their attitude. Sometimes it is an extraordinary event that results in it (kid falls into river, man jumps in and risks life to pull kid out, man is embarrassed by all the fuss about being a hero because—well, of course it was what had to be done.)
Other times it is ongoing, quiet, and the person would be stunned to have it called heroic. Even argue against that. But there are heroes and heroines all around us.
Brenda’s auction is jam- packed with goodies this year! I went over yesterday to scope it out and ended up spending about two hours clicking and taking notes. If anyone is an aspiring writer, I really encourage you to check out the critques and reads. It is a great way to get a fresh pair of eyeballs on your work. Then there are all those books and goodie baskets, and adorable items like the Mystery book store in minature (I will have to bid on this one for certain.)
Brenda Novak on 02 May 2009 at 10:38 am #
Karen, I was so touched by your blog. Thank you for your kind words–but I’m not a hero. I’m just a concerned mom doing what any mom would do: fighting to save her kid and others who face the same challenges. Maybe I would be a hero if I went to all the work the auction requires without a loved one facing diabetes. Many of my donors are in that situation. They give even though they don’t see a direct application to their lives, and that’s so inspiring and amazing to me! I feel like everyone who participates is a hero, including you!
Evlqun, your sister is definitely a hero! As I was reading these stories, I thought of others in my own life who have gone the extra mile and love how contagious that can be. I read something on the subway in NYC last week about courtesy being contagious, and I’ve tried harder to remember the little things since (funny that something on a subway can inspire me, but there you go).
Thanks for helping to spread awareness of my efforts, Goddesses. And thanks for donating such great items. We raised $42,222 our first day, so we’re crushing all previous records.
Brenda
LisaK on 02 May 2009 at 11:05 am #
Your stories bring tears to my eyes, especially the one about the girl who wrote to you, Karen. Of course the fate of her friend is so very tragic and still it’s wonderful that she seems to have the best friends one could wish for.
My hero is my mum. Definitely. I’ve been badly bullied at school for a very long time when I was a child and she was always there for me, always said everything would be alright, always held me and made joked just to lighten my mood and encouraged me to eventually talk to a teacher and ask for help. I daresay that, without her, I would be an emotional cripple today. At the moment she’s going through a nasty divorce with my idiot father, who left almost two years ago. I’m not sorry that he’s gone but I want to cry when I see my mum having to walk to the supermarket and everywhere because he took our car and curtailed our money and she still makes ends meet. The worst thing is that she has some serious trouble with both her legs and feet and can’t even walk properly anymore. It’s horrible and I do as much as I can to help her and I admire her so very, very much that, despite everything, she never gives up.
LoriHandeland on 02 May 2009 at 11:51 am #
What a lovely blog, K-Ro. Brenda does such a wonderful thing with the auction. I hope every day breaks a new record.
Nicole Jordan on 02 May 2009 at 1:23 pm #
What wonderful, inspiring stories! And I agree, Brenda is a true hero. Her auction is just amazing.
My immediate heroes are my late dad and my bro, who have served in four wars between them and have the medals of valor to prove it. There are so many members of the U.S. Armed Services who sacrifice so much every day for the rest of us, and their families too. Thanks and kudos to them all.
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 4:04 pm #
Nicole, yes, our armed forces are heroes indeed! We live free every day because of their sacrifice.
Brenda – way to go to break the record! Yes!
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 4:07 pm #
LisaK – how lovely that your mom helped you through such an emotional time, lightening your mood! I was also bullied by the kids at school growing up. It’s a very powerless way to live. I’m so glad your mom lifted you above it.
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 4:21 pm #
Madeline – that’s exactly what I mean. A real hero doesn’t do it to be recognized, but because there is a need and it’s the right thing.
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 4:32 pm #
Judy – I think that caregivers of any kind are heroes, especially ones with the sensitivity to also care for the family.
I remember when DH had cancer years ago. The surgeon saved his life, but never gave me a smidge of information. Later, DH’s oncologist was a real hero. He also saved my husband’s life, but took the time to make sure I was okay, too.
And kudos to your friend who is walking for the liver transplant. That is my next goal – to walk for cancer research. (I’m afraid that running a marathon is not in my immediate or long-term future.)
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 4:34 pm #
Wow, Louisa – your CP is inspiring! My thoughts are with her in her own health struggles. Kudos to her for her dedication to others when she herself is in pain.
evlqn on 02 May 2009 at 4:43 pm #
I just spent an hour on Brenda’s auction site instead of doing paperwork. Bad Brenda! tempting me like that!
evlqn on 02 May 2009 at 4:46 pm #
Off topic but has anyone heard how Susan M and her DH are doing? It’s been so long since she has posted, and I’ve been thinking of her a lot.
Karen Rose on 02 May 2009 at 10:00 pm #
I know right? Bad auction
I haven’t heard from Susan myself. Perhaps someone else has?
TinaLouiseF on 03 May 2009 at 8:41 pm #
Thanks for the reminder. I found the auction last year.
I think there were a few items I was going to bid on.