Mr. Rogers encouraged kids to look for the helpers in times of trouble. “You will always find people who are helping,” he said. I have recently seen helpers first hand and it wasn’t the people I expected.
This past weekend my family and I traveled to Chicago for the 50th annual Croatian Fraternal Union Festival. This event attracts Tamburitzan groups from all over the United States and Canada. One of the highlights of the event is a mass performance in which all the groups gather on stage, with their instruments, to play and sing songs from the homeland.
This is an amazing sight to see. The stage is filled, rows deep with children ranging in age from 4 to 21, in some of the most beautiful, ornate costumes you will ever see. One of the drawbacks, with so many kids being on stage, it’s hard to pick out your own, unless they are right in front. This really did not bother me at the time, but now I wish, for this performance, I could've seen my daughter.
She fell ill during the singing, tried to get off stage but fainted before she made it safely to the side. No one in the audience saw this because you could not see her - she’s not tall and was in the back. People from our group and people we did not know rushed to her aid.
I received a text while sitting in the audience to come backstage immediately. I ran like the wind in a desperate attempt to see my child. After running through what seemed like a maze, I saw her sitting in a chair, surrounded by people. Of course there were grown ups on the scene, but the person closest to her was a college student.
Marie is studying to become a nurse and was using the training she has accumulated to assess whether my daughter had a concussion. (She apparently hit her head when she fainted.) Another young lady, Annie, is studying to become a pharmacist, She was close-by and was explaining to me what had happened.
These two young women, both Tamburitzan alumni, displayed such poise and calmness. My eyes filled with tears as I gazed upon my child, being attended to by so many people. My daughter looked both small and big at the same time. I touched her and asked if she was ok. That was all I could do. I was in emotional overdrive.
I truly admire people who can jump in and help. Some people run toward trouble and see what they can do. As a young child I remember watching my dad spring into action, putting his military medic training to use when my brother, sister or I got hurt. I also remember neighbors seeking his help when one of their children was either sick or injured. I did not inherit this calmness under pressure skill.
I am the person who freaks out at the first sight of illness. My house goes into quarantine at the first sign of a cold. Loose teeth make me uneasy. I am not your girl when calamity strikes.
With that said, I appreciate people who have a way to remain calm, think steady and take care of others in stressful situations. Although I will never be one of those gifted people, I will forever be in the debt of those who come to the aid of my most precious gifts – my children. Based on the actions of Marie and Annie, the next generation of patients will be in good hands.
