Hero of the Week 6

Welcome back viewers!
This week we have a team of heroes.

Allow me to introduce the dogsled teams of Nome, Alaska!

During the winter of 1925, the small city of Nome in the state of Alaska faced a terrible crises: a deadly outbreak of the highly contagious sickness called, diphtheria. Diphtheria is a respiratory tract illness caused by a bacterium called, Corynebacterium diphtheria. It causes blockage in the throat and  if it is not treated, it will lead to a painful death by suffocation. It is especially lethal to children. By January 21 1925, two of Nome's children had died and a further twenty people were diagnosed with diphtheria.

When the doctor of Nome (Dr. Curtis Welch) diagnosed diphtheria the situation became clear. An antitoxin for diphtheria would be needed before other people became infected with the disease. Dr. Welch learned that the nearest supply of antitoxin was located in the city of Anchorage, Alaska. It was decided that the antitoxin would be shipped from Anchorage by train. However, the weather proved to be a major obstacle (literally). The train made it to the town of Nenana before being blocked by heavy snowfall caused by a major snowstorm blowing in from the Arctic. With the temperature dropping to -50° Fahrenheit and the snowstorm turning into a blizzard, it became clear that the serum would need to be transported to Nome another way. Flying the serum to Nome was not an option due to the limited daylight of the time of year for Alaska. Transportation by sea was not an option either, due to Nome's ice-choked harbor. With nearly all forms of transportation shut down due to the blizzard, Alaskan Governor Scott Bone gave authorization for a dogsled relay.

Although the idea seemed ludicrous to some people, dogsled teams had been regularly used for mail transportation in Alaska. The dogs and their mushers were known for their skillful navigation of the Alaskan territory and their speed in delivering. Governor Bone chose 20 teams of mushers with at least 150 sled dogs to make an over 600 mile run from Nenana to Nome while using their mail route. What followed would go down in history as, "The Great Race of Mercy".

The relay began on January 27. For the next five and a half days, the teams struggled to reach their checkpoints. By now the temperature had dropped to -60° Fahrenheit and the speed of the blizzard's winds were estimated at 80 mph. The dogs (the names, Balto and Togo would become very famous) and their mushers also battled frostbite and snow blindness that forced them to rely on the sense of smell to navigate their way to Nome. During the trip, some of the dogs froze to death and others suffered permanent injuries. Despite all this, the antitoxin arrived in Nome on February 1st. Altogether, the dogsled teams had covered 674 miles in just over 127 hours. Dr. Welch quickly administered the antitoxin to the sick people of Nome. Although at least five people had already died, the rest of the city largely made full recoveries.

Through a combination of courage and skill mushers and their dogs of Nome performed a legendary feat. They faced a long and dangerous journey to save a city from a deadly disease. They all should serve as an inspiration to people around the world.

Further information:

http://www.history.com/news/the-sled-dog-relay-that-inspired-the-iditarod

https://alaskaweb.org/disease/1925serumrun.htm

Salisbury, Gay; Salisbury, Laney (2003), The Cruelest Miles, W. W. Norton & Company

Hero of the Week 5

Welcome back viewers!

This week's hero is...

Betty Robinson!

Betty Robinson was an olympic athlete who won multiple medals at the games. In the 1928 Summer Olympics at Amsterdam, she won a gold medal in the 100 meters and a silver in the women's 4x100 relay. She did this when she was only 16 years old. Despite this incredible achievement, Robinson is probably best know for a horrific incident that nearly took her life and her incredible road to recovery.

By the year 1931, Robinson was training hard for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. However, on June 28 one of her cousins invited her to take a ride in a biplane, which she accepted. For about an hour Robinson and her cousin (named Wilson Palmer) enjoyed their flying trip. But when the plane reached an altitude of 400 feet, its motor stalled. As a result it plunged in an uncontrollable nosedive and crashed. Both Robinson and her cousin suffered severe injuries. Robinson suffered a broken left arm, an eight-inch gash across her head, a concussion, and a shattered left leg. When she and her cousin were found the former was initially thought to be dead and taken to a morgue. That is, until the undertaker noticed slight movement and immediately rushed her to the hospital where doctors struggled to save her life.

For the next eleven weeks Betty Robinson drifted in and out of consciousness. After that she was confined to a wheel chair. As a result of her terrible injuries, she missed the summer olympics in 1932. Despite this, Robinson was determined to walk and eventually run again. Once she was discharged from the hospital, she immediately began a long road to recovery. Although she continued to suffer physical pain in her legs from her injuries, Robinson was able to make the 1936 Olympic team for the Women's Relay. In Berlin, Robinson ran the third leg of the relay before passing the baton to her teammate (her fellow runners were: Helen Stephens, Annette Rogers, and Harriet Bland). Although the German team was the favored to win the gold, their fourth runner dropped the baton. As a result the American team (Robinson included) won the gold medal.

Betty Robinson's story is one that draws much inspiration. She was a professional athlete who suffered terrible injuries from a freak accident. And yet through determination and dedication, she was able to comeback and return to doing what she loved. Betty Robinson is without a doubt, one of the most remarkable athletes in the history of the Olympics.

http://www.teamusa.org/News/2015/April/28/Betty-Robinson-The-Gold-Medalist-Who-Came-Back-From-the-Dead

Hero of the Week 4

Welcome back viewers!
This week's hero is....

Alfred Tibor

Alfred Tibor was a holocaust survivor and an artist. He was born Alfred Goldstein on February 10, 1920 in Konyar, Hungary. In 1940, Alfred was drafted into a slave labor battalion for the Axis forces. Less than a year later he and his battalion were captured by the Red Army. Instead of being liberated, Alfred and his battalion of laborers were then deported to Siberia. For the next 6 years Alfred struggled to survive in the horrific conditions of a Soviet prisoner of war camp. He was eventually released in 1947. Of his battalion of 273 men, he was one of two to survive the ordeal. Alfred then discovered that the rest of his immediate and extended family, except for his younger brother Andre, had all been murdered by the Nazis. Alfred and his brother then changed their name from Goldstein to Tibor in honor of their older brother (Tibor Goldstein), and then chose to immigrate to the United States.


Upon his arrival, Alfred Tibor settled in Columbus, Ohio. He then decided to become an artist (something he had wanted since he was young). For the rest of his life Alfred Tibor sculpted many sculptors that depict human life in order to educate the people of the United States. He dedicated many of his artwork to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust. He himself said, “As a Holocaust survivor, I believe that my life was spared to do my work so people may enjoy it. Whether it is one of my Holocaust sculptures, a biblical figure, or a woman standing proud and tall, the human aspect of the piece is what is being expressed to the viewer — that there is beauty and value to be found in all our lives, for I truly believe that life is a celebration.” 


As of today, Alfred Tibor's artwork can be found in nearly 500 museums and private collections around the world, including Israel's Yad Vashem monument in Jerusalem. Many of his sculptors can also be found throughout the city of Columbus. One of the most well known is a piece he called, "Freedom". He dedicated that to the city as a form of gratitude for the freedom he found in the United States. Alfred Tibor continued to make sculptors until is death on March 18, 2017. He was 97 years old. Like many people around the world, Alfred Tibor suffered a horrific ordeal and unimaginable loss. However, despite all his suffering he never gave in to despair. He picked himself up and found a new life and dedicated it to educating the world about the values of life through his artwork. Alfred Tibor should be seen as an inspiration to all who have suffered terrible loss in their life. 

This week's blog is also dedicated to the brave people of Charlottesville who confronted violent racists who still embrace the toxic Bigotry of people like the Nazis.

http://nbc4i.com/2017/03/18/holocaust-survivor-and-sculptor-alfred-tibor-dies-at-age-97/

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170319/alfred-tibor--1920-2017-prolific-sculptor-shaped-by-holocaust

http://nbc4i.com/2017/03/20/family-friends-mourn-loss-of-local-sculptor-holocaust-survivor-alfred-tibor/

http://alfredtibor.net

Hero of the Week 3

Welcome back viewers!
This week's hero is....

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker

Mary Walker was both a physician and an activist for women's rights. She was born November 26, 1832 in Oswego New York. She decided to become a physician early in her life (despite the profession being considered a male field at the time). She attended Syracuse Medical College and graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1855 (she was the only woman in her class). Despite enduring a constant condescension from many of her neighbors and fellow doctors, Dr. Walker continued to practice medicine as she was determined to follow her dream and serve her country.

When the Civil War began in 1861, Dr. Walker immediately volunteered to be a surgeon for the Union Army. At first she was only allowed to serve as nurse, since the prospect of female surgeons in the military was unheard of at the time. However this changed when her skills as a surgeon became clear. Throughout the war, Dr Walker frequently rescued many of wounded soldiers from the battlefield and treated their wounds. She was present at the battles of Fredericksburg, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga.

In September of 1863, the Dr Walker was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland at the request of General George Henry Thomas. She became the very first female surgeon to be employed by the United States Army. She was even allowed to wear her own military uniform (that she designed herself). She also created an organization called the, Women's Relief Organization for the purpose of aiding the wives and mothers of wounded soldiers of the Union Army. In April 1864, she was taken prisoner by Confederate soldiers and spent 4 months in a prisoner of war camp until she was exchanged. By the time the Civil War ended, Mary Walker had saved hundreds of lives. She was commended by many soldiers for her service and received the Congressional Medal of Honor on November 11, 1865. 

Unfortunately her medal was rescinded by Congress in 1917, due to a reappraisal of the designated eligibility for the terms of receiving the medal. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter had Congress posthumously restore it to her. To date, Dr Mary Edwards Walker is the only female recipient of the Medal of Honor. From the end of the Civil War to her death on February 21, 1919, Walker became an activist for women's rights (mainly focusing on dress reform and women's right to vote). In 2000, she was inducted in the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Dr Mary Edwards Walker was a remarkable person who desired nothing more than serve her fellow countrymen regardless of the prejudice that she received from them. Her skill and determination both serve as a major inspiration for all people (women and men) who wish to serve their nation and try to make the world a better place. She is definitely one of the best people to have ever lived.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/mary-edwards-walker-only-woman-receive-medal-honor-n111596

Walker, Dale L. (2005). Mary Edwards Walker: Above and Beyond

http://www.history.army.mil/news/2016/160200a_maryEdwardsWalker.html

https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_325.html